Historic pig transplant recipient dies of 'unexpected cardiac event'

of death Rik Suleiman's First man to receive kidney transplant from genetically engineered pigTransplant surgeons said Wednesday that there was no sign that his body was rejecting the organ due to an “unexpected cardiac event.”

The announcement, which comes six months after the 62-year-old Weymouth, Massachusetts, resident died, is the first public explanation of the cause of Suleiman's death and confirms that Suleiman's new kidney is still viable two months after his death. This is the most detailed evidence that it is working. underwent a historic procedure. In a May press release announcing his death, hospital officials said there was “no indication” the death was caused by the transplant, but provided no further details.

More than 100,000 people are on the waiting list for a kidney transplant in the United States, but only about 17,000 receive one each year, according to the National Kidney Foundation. Twelve people die every day waiting for a kidney. Pig-to-human organ transplants may one day provide a solution to this critical organ shortage.