Doctors in Massachusetts successfully conducted the first transplant of a genetically modified kidney of a pig into a 62-year-old human.
The statement from the patient noted that for 11 years he had been on this venture. Earlier in 2018 he was given a kidney transplant from another human. When his kidney started failing, he acted upon the doctor’s suggestion.
“The organ was exactly the same size as a human kidney,” said Dr Tatsuo Kawai, who conducted the operation, and is also a director of the Legorreta Center for Clinical Transplant Tolerance.
Dr Kawai said the kidney started to operate normally after the transplant, calling it “the most beautiful kidney” he has ever seen.
The experts involved in the treatment of the patient said that the 62-year-old is recovering and would be soon discharged.
It is the third time that pig organs have been transplanted into humans. The earlier two were heart transplants but unfortunately, both the receivers died.
The current transplant was of genetically modified kidney for compatibility with humans. A company eGenesis — behind the organ development — regarded the development as a successful procedure that heralds a new era in medicine.
There is a shortage of organ donors in the US and around 17 people die every day due to such failures.
