Rick Slayman, 62, Dies Nearly 2 Months After First Pig Kidney Transplant

May 12, 2024, 06:02 AM

Rick Slayman, a 62-year-old man from Weymouth, Massachusetts, who made medical history by receiving the world's first genetically edited pig kidney transplant, has died nearly two months after the procedure. Massachusetts General Hospital, where the transplant was performed on March 16, announced that there was no indication that his death was related to the transplant. Slayman, who had been on dialysis for years and had a failed human kidney transplant in 2018, was released from the hospital on April 3. The hospital and his family have expressed their deep gratitude for his contribution to medical science, noting that the additional weeks he lived post-transplant were a gift that allowed for precious memories.