Rick Slayman, 62, Dies Two Months After Historic Pig Kidney Transplant in Massachusetts

May 12, 2024, 02:03 AM

Rick Slayman, a 62-year-old man from Weymouth, Massachusetts, who made history as the first recipient of a genetically modified pig kidney transplant, has died nearly two months after the procedure. The transplant was performed at Massachusetts General Hospital on March 16, and Slayman was discharged on April 3. Despite his death, the hospital reported no indications that it was related to the transplant. Slayman had previously been on dialysis for years and received a human kidney transplant in 2018 that eventually failed.