1 month ago
1 of 3 | Pig kidney transplant recipient Rick Slayman pinch (left to right) Dr. Leo Riella, Medical Director of Kidney Transplantation, Dr. Nahel Elias, Interim Chief, Division of Transplant Surgery, his partner, Faren, and Dr. Tatsuo Kawai, Director, Legoretta Center for Clinical Transplant Tolerance. Photo courtesy of Massachusetts General Hospital
April 4 (UPI) -- Rick Slayman, nan man who received nan world's transplanted genetically edited pig kidney astatine Massachusetts General Hospital, is location Thursday aft being discharged Wednesday.
Slayman, 62, said in a statement that his betterment was "progressing smoothly" and that his merchandise marked a "new beginning" for himself and nan doctors who performed nan surgery.
"This infinitesimal -- leaving nan infirmary coming pinch 1 of nan cleanest bills of wellness I've had successful a agelong clip -- is 1 I wished would travel for galore years," Slayman said. "Now, it's a reality and 1 of nan happiest moments of my life. I want to convey everyone astatine Massachusetts General Hospital who cared for maine earlier and aft my historical transplant, particularly Dr. Williams, Dr. Riella, Dr. Kawai, and nan countless nurses who looked aft maine each time of my stay."
He requested privateness arsenic he continues to retrieve astatine home.
Slayman had end-stage kidney illness erstwhile he sewage nan transplant. He had suffered from glucosuria and hypertension arsenic good for galore years. HIs dialysis treatments were nary longer working.
The March 16 room lasted for 4 hours. He sewage nan room aft a transplanted quality kidney had failed.
"He was completely exhausted astatine nan failures that he was experiencing successful dialysis," said Dr. Winfred Williams, Associate Chair of MGH Nephrology Division, successful a statement. "The different point he said, 'I'm hoping that it tin do immoderate bully for me.' And I knew that if it did work, it would reconstruct his value of life. But he besides said, I tin besides do bully for others coming down me."
The pig kidney came from eGenesis of Cambridge, Massachusetts. It had 69 genomic edits utilizing nan CRISPR-Cas9 exertion to region harmful pig genes and to adhd definite quality genes to amended quality compatibility.
