A revolutionary medical advancement occurred in Boston as surgeons effectively transplanted a kidney from a genetically altered pig into a 62-year-old patient requiring the transplant.
The New York Times report suggests that the indications thus far are favorable.
Doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital, commonly referred to as Mass General, have stated that the patient’s condition has been steadily improving since the surgery conducted last weekend.
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The patient, Richard ‘Rick’ Slayman, hailing from Weymouth, Massachusetts, is progressing favorably at MGH and is projected to be released soon, as indicated on the hospital’s website update on Thursday.
Joren C. Madsen, MD, DPhil, Director of the MGH Transplant Center said, “The real hero today is the patient, Mr Slayman, as the success of this pioneering surgery, once deemed unimaginable, would not have been possible without his courage and willingness to embark on a journey into uncharted medical territory.
“As the global medical community celebrates this monumental achievement, Mr. Slayman becomes a beacon of hope for countless individuals suffering from end-stage renal disease and opens a new frontier in organ transplantation.”
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Slayman’s new kidney has begun urine production, marking a promising step forward, while he’s also actively mobile in the hospital, hinting at a potential imminent discharge.
An associate chief of the nephrology division at Mass General and the patient’s primary kidney doctor, Dr. Winfred Williams, believes that a new kidney source “could solve an intractable problem in the field — the inadequate access of minority patients to kidney transplants.”
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The medical director for kidney transplantation at Mass General, Dr. Leonardo V. Riella, pointed out that using genetically modified animal kidneys for transplantation on a large scale could eliminate the need for dialysis.