Pig-to-Human Transplants Spark Controversy, Condemnation Following the Death of World's First Living Recipient of Genetically Engineered Pig Kidney

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PETA, an animal rights organization, has condemned animal organs used for human transplantation following the death of the world's first living recipient of a genetically engineered pig kidney. The man ended up dying just weeks after he received the transplant.

First Living Pig Kidney Transplant Recipient Dies

Last March 16, 62-year-old Richard Slayman became the first living recipient of the genetically engineered pig organ at Mass General Hospital. This xenotransplantation procedure came as his last resort for treating his end-stage kidney disease.

The pig kidney was supplied by eGenesis, a biotech company. It was taken from a donor pig that underwent genetic modification through CRISPR-cas9 technology to enhance its compatibility with humans.

Last May 11, it was announced by Massachusetts General Hospital that Slayman had died, though there was no clear indication that his death resulted from his transplant.

Initially, this transplant was seen as a milestone in the field of medicine, as experts hoped that it could help organ transplantation become more readily available in the future. It was specifically a milestone in xenotransplantation, which involves transplanting organs from one species to a different one. This method could help combat the shortage of organs for people who need to undergo transplantation.

While the method shows potential, animal usage for this technology is not something everyone agrees with.

ALSO READ: First Recipient of Genetically Modified Pig Kidney Transplant Dies 2 Months After Procedure

Controversy, Condemnation Sparked

Julia Baines, the senior science policy manager of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), says there was nothing to celebrate. Baines explains that, based on what was learned from baboon heart transplants that previously failed and other ventures involving the taking of organs of different species, these procedures also lead to human demise.

Though Slayman became the first living recipient of such a procedure, he was not the first xenotransplant recipient. In August 2023, doctors of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine transplanted engineered pig kidneys into a brain-dead patient to show how the organs could work like other human organs over a certain period. In September 2021, a similar case was also reported.

However, it appears that the living recipients of such xenotransplantations only ended up surviving for short periods after the procedure.

Baines explains that there have been no experiments of such a kind that have succeeded despite its hype. Slayman is now the third person to have died after receiving a pig organ transplant. The officer adds that countless animals end up killed in horrific ways for such procedures, which the media enthusiastically covers and which involve the treating of these living creatures as warehouses for experiments.

Nevertheless, Slayman's family expresses gratitude for the procedure, which gave them seven more weeks to be with the deceased. They express their gratitude to the team from Massachusetts General Hospital and the doctors in charge, Dr. Riella, Kawai, and Dr. Williams, who did what they could to offer Slayman a second chance.