The first recipient of a genetically modified pig kidney has died two months after undergoing surgery. The hospital stated that there are no indications that the death was due to the transplant of the new organ. Richard "Rick" Suleiman, 62, was the first living person to receive a pig kidney, which was transplanted at Massachusetts General Hospital last March. Surgeons believed that the new kidney could function for at least two years, but his family and the hospital confirmed his death on Saturday.
It is noted that a pig kidney had been previously transplanted into a brain-dead patient as a trial. Two other patients have reportedly undergone pig heart transplants but also passed away after several months. Suleiman had previously received a kidney transplant in 2018 but returned to dialysis after tests indicated signs of failure in the new kidney. After his health deteriorated, doctors advised him to consider a gene-edited pig kidney transplant.
Suleiman's family expressed their gratitude to the doctors for their efforts, stating that the organ transplant provided Rick's family with an additional seven weeks with him and that his memory will remain in their hearts. In April, a woman from New Jersey named Lisa Pisano also received a genetically modified pig kidney, along with a pump to keep her heart functioning.
