Richard “Rick” Suleiman of Weymouth, Massachusetts, was battling end-stage kidney disease.
In a medical first, a 62-year-old man has been discharged from Massachusetts General Hospital after undergoing a successful kidney transplant from a genetically modified pig. BBC report. The breakthrough, which follows past failed attempts using pig organs, is being hailed by scientists as a historic milestone that could revolutionize organ transplantation.
This news was shared by a media outlet press release MGH, the largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School in Boston, made the announcement on Wednesday.
The patient, Richard “Rick” Suleiman of Weymouth, Massachusetts, was battling end-stage renal disease and needed an organ transplant, the hospital said. On March 16, doctors successfully transplanted a gene-edited pig kidney into his body after a four-hour surgery.
Doctors said Suleiman’s kidneys were now functioning well and he no longer needed dialysis.
Suleiman said in a statement that being discharged from the hospital and returning home was “one of the happiest moments” of his life.
“I am excited to be free from the burden of dialysis, which has affected my quality of life for many years, and to be able to spend time with my family, friends, and loved ones again.”
In 2018, he received a kidney transplant from a deceased human donor. But last year, when the transplanted kidney started to deteriorate, doctors suggested a pig kidney transplant.
“I thought it was a way to not only help me, but also give hope to the thousands of people who need transplants to survive,” he said.
The new pig kidneys he received were processed by Cambridge-based pharmaceutical company EGenesis to “remove harmful pig genes and add specific human genes to increase compatibility with humans.” It is said to have been altered.
The hospital noted that in this operation, it drew on its pioneering heritage as the world’s first successful human organ transplanter, a kidney, in 1954. He also mentioned ongoing research being conducted in collaboration with EGenesis on xenotransplantation (organ transplantation between different organs). species for the past five years).
The Food and Drug Administration approved the procedure under the Single Expanded Access Protocol, commonly known as Compassionate Use. This is typically reserved for allowing patients with life-threatening conditions access to experimental treatments.
Transplant teams are celebrating this milestone as a historic advance that could provide a promising solution to the global organ shortage, with the potential to particularly benefit minority communities disproportionately affected by the shortage. He said that there is a sex.
Winfred Williams, Mr. Suleiman’s physician at MGH, said: “The abundant supply of organs resulting from this technological advancement will ultimately help us achieve health equity and provide the best solution to kidney failure – the ability of the kidneys to function properly. “It has the potential to be available to all patients who need it to function.” .
