First pig kidney transplant patient discharged from hospital

Two previous organ transplants from genetically modified pigs had failed.
HealthDay News
From left to right, Dr Leo Riella, Dr Nahel Elias, Rick Slayman’s partner — Faren, Rick Slayman and Dr Tatsuo Kawai. Photo: Massachusetts General Hospital.

Rick Slayman, the first person to receive a kidney transplant from a genetically modified pig, has been discharged from hospital just two weeks after his groundbreaking surgery.

While two previous organ transplants from genetically modified pigs had failed, Mr Slayman’s new kidney was producing urine and removing waste products from the blood, his doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) said.