The world's first recipient of a pig kidney transplant, a 62-year-old man, has died, his family announced on Saturday.
Richard Suleiman underwent a four-hour surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in March and was released two weeks later on April 2.
The hospital stressed that there was no indication that Suleiman's sudden death was due to the transplant.
“The transplant team at Massachusetts General Hospital is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Rick Sulaiman. There is no indication that this death was a result of the recent transplant procedure,” the hospital said in a statement.
Suleiman, of Weymouth, 16 miles southeast of Boston, had long-standing type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure at the time of his transplant, the hospital said in a statement. He had been on dialysis for many years before receiving a kidney transplant from a deceased donor at Massachusetts General Hospital in December 2018.
Rick Suleiman leaves hospital two weeks after receiving a pig kidney transplant
Massachusetts General Hospital
But about five years later, kidney failure began and Suleiman was forced to resume dialysis in May 2023, which the hospital said affected his quality of life.
“Sulaiman will forever be a beacon of hope for countless transplant patients around the world, and we are deeply grateful for his faith and drive to advance the field of xenotransplantation. We offer our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones as they mourn an extraordinary man whose generosity and kindness touched the hearts of all who knew him,” the hospital said in a statement.
The kidney was donated by Cambridge-based pharmaceutical company eGenesis and came from a pig donor that had been gene-edited using CRISPR-Cas9 technology, with harmful pig genes removed and specific human genes added to make it more compatible with humans, the hospital said.
In a statement, Suleiman's family expressed their gratitude to the doctors and care team at Massachusetts General Hospital.
“Our family is deeply saddened by the sudden loss of our beloved Rick, but we take great comfort in knowing he was an inspiration to so many. Millions of people around the world know Rick's story, and we took, and still do, comfort in the sense of optimism he gave to patients desperate for a transplant.”
On March 16, 2024, surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital performed the world's first transplant of a genetically modified pig kidney into a living human.
Massachusetts General Hospital
“We are incredibly grateful to the care team at Massachusetts General Hospital and Massachusetts General Brigham Hospital, especially Dr. Williams, Dr. Kawai and Dr. Riera, who did everything in their power to give Rick another chance. Their incredible efforts guiding the xenotransplant allowed our family to spend seven additional weeks with Rick, and the memories we made during that time will remain in our hearts forever.”
His family said one of the reasons Suleiman had the transplant was to give hope of survival to thousands of people waiting for a transplant.
“Rick achieved his goal and his hope and optimism will endure forever. His legacy will be an inspiration to patients, researchers and medical professionals around the world.”
ABC News' Eric Strauss contributed to this report.
