‘Lifeline to millions’: First live human pig organ transplant

A path to recovery for thousands of Aussies is now in reach after the first successful pig to live human organ transplant.

A new path to recovery is one step closer for more than 15,000 Australians currently on kidney dialysis after the first successful pig-to-live human kidney transplant this week.

The Massachusetts General Hospital reached a significant milestone by successfully completing the procedure on a live human — and it has created a stir with Australian experts.

Richard Slayman, 62, had end-stage kidney disease and was given a genetically-edited pig kidney in a four-hour long surgery on March 16.

He is recovering well and is expected to be discharged soon, according to the hospital.

Surgeons perform the world’s first genetically modified pig to live human kidney transplant surgery. Picture: AFP Photo / Massachusetts General Hospital / Michelle Rose

“When my transplanted kidney began failing in 2023, I again trusted my care team at MGH to meet my goals of not just improving my quality of life but extending it,” Mr Slayman said in a statement provided by the hospital.

He said the pros and cons of xenotransplantation — cross species transplantation — were explained carefully to him and he saw it as a chance to help himself and provide hope for the “thousands of others who need a transplant to survive”.

“I have been a Mass General Transplant Center patient for 11 years and have the highest level of trust in the doctors, nurses, and clinical staff who have cared for me,” he said in the statement.

The genetically modified pig kidney sits on ice awaiting transplant in theatre. Picture: AFP Photo / Massachusetts General Hospital / Michelle Rose

Mr Slayman had lived with type 2 diabetes and hypertension for years before receiving a human deceased donor kidney in 2018.

The new kidney showed signs of failure around five years later and Mr Slayman resumed dialysis in 2023.

He was offered the experimental surgery after his quality of life was impacted from resuming dialysis and suffering from recurrent clots among other complications.

President and CEO of Mass General Brigham Anne Klibanski said its researchers and clinicians are constantly “pushing the boundaries of science”.

“Nearly seven decades after the first successful kidney transplant, our clinicians have once again demonstrated our commitment to provide innovative treatments and help ease the burden of disease for our patients and others around the world,” he said in a statement.

Pig organs are genetically modified to be more human-like and reduce the risk of rejection. Picture: Supplied.

“Our hope is that this transplant approach will offer a lifeline to millions of patients worldwide who are suffering from kidney failure.”.

The procedure was performed under an expanded access protocol for compassionate use granted to a single patient or group to gain access to experimental treatments or trials when no comparable treatment options exist.

The procedure has created a “genuine sense of excitement” in the Australian transplant scene.

Professor of Medicine at the University of Adelaide and director of transplantation at the Royal Adelaide Hospital Toby Coates told news.com.au the doctors had “leapfrogged forward” after just last year researchers completed the first functional pig-to-human kidney transplant on a brain dead patient.

“The big thing is this is a live human,” he said.

He said although it is too early to know how successful the outcome will be — the hope is that a live human will be able to regulate the new kidney “really well and really quickly”.

He said there are still ethical issues to be considered in the highly experimental procedure.

“The problem is that the people you would normally select would be eligible to get a kidney in the normal way, so how do you justify doing this highly experimental procedure,”

Dr Coates said presumably this particular patient was facing an 8-10 year wait for a second human kidney transplant.

This is the third time an organ has been transplanted from a pig to a live human. The first two were heart transplants where both patients died weeks after receiving their new organ.