The first patient to receive a kidney transplanted from a genetically modified pigs has fared so well that he was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday, just two weeks after the groundbreaking surgery.
Scientist stated that the transplant and it’s remarkable outcome heralded a significant moment in the history of medicine.
READ MORE: South Africa Parliament Speaker Charged With 12 Counts of Corruption, Money Laundering
Two previous organ transplants from genetically modified pigs failed. Both patients received hearts, and both died a few weeks later. In one patient, there were signs that the immune system had rejected the organ, a constant risk.
However, the kidney transplanted into Richard Slayman, 62, is producing urine, removing waste products from the blood, balancing the body’s fluids and carrying out other key functions, according to his doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital.
