FILE PHOTO: People walk past a sign at the entrance to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., May 19, 2022. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File PhotoA 62-year-man with end-stage renal disease has become the first human to receive a new kidney from a genetically modified pig, doctors from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston announced on Thursday.
The patient, Richard Slayman of Weymouth, Massachusetts, is recovering well and expected to be discharged soon, the hospital said. The kidney was provided by eGenesis of Cambridge, Massachusetts from a pig that had been genetically edited to remove genes that could be harmful to a human recipient and add certain human genes to improve compatibility. In addition, the company inactivated certain viruses inherent to pigs that have the potential to infect humans.
Drugs used to help prevent rejection of the pig organ by the patient’s immune system included an experimental antibody therapy called tegoprubart, developed by Eledon Pharmaceuticals.