In March, patient Richard "Rick" Slayman received a genetically modified pig kidney transplant at Massachusetts General Hospital (USA) at the age of 62. Surgeons said they believed the pig kidney would last at least two years.

The transplant team at Massachusetts General Hospital said they were deeply saddened by Mr Slayman’s death and offered their condolences to his family. They said they had seen no indication that the man died from the transplanted genetically modified pig kidney.

The Slayman family sent their thanks to the doctors. "The tremendous efforts of the surgical team in performing the xenotransplant gave our family seven more weeks with Rick, and the memories of that time will remain in our minds and hearts."

Pig kidneys have been transplanted into brain-dead patients before. Mr. Slayman is the first living patient in the world to receive a genetically modified pig kidney. In addition to kidneys, the US has also transplanted pig hearts into two patients, but both died in less than 2 months.

Slayman, who has Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, received a human kidney transplant in 2018, but it began to fail after five years, forcing him to undergo dialysis. When complications arose in dialysis that required frequent surgeries, doctors recommended a pig kidney.

The family said Mr Slayman underwent the surgery in part to give hope to thousands of people who need organ transplants to survive. "Rick accomplished that goal and his hope and optimism will live on forever."

Transplanting organs from one species to another is a growing field called xenotransplantation. This method of healing patients with cells, tissues or organs from animals is difficult because the human immune system immediately destroys foreign animal tissue. Therefore, to meet the growing demand for organ transplants, pig organs are often genetically modified to resemble human organs.

Across the United States, more than 100,000 people are on the organ transplant waiting list, most of them kidney patients. Every year, thousands of people die while waiting for an organ transplant.

Hoai Phuong (according to AP)