--- title: "Patient Dies After Receiving Kidney From Gene-Hacked Pig" description: "Roughly two months after becoming the first human to receive a gene-hacked pig kidney transplant, Richard \"Rick\" Slayman has passed away." date: "2024-05-13" modified: "2024-05-13" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/patient-dies-after-receiving-kidney-gene-hacked-pig" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "egenesis" - "kidney disease" - "pig" - "xenotransplantation" --- # Patient Dies After Receiving Kidney From Gene-Hacked Pig ![Roughly two months after becoming the first human to receive a gene-hacked pig kidney transplant, Richard "Rick" Slayman has passed away.]() *\Image: Massachusetts General Hospital\* Roughly two months after becoming the [first human to receive]() a gene-hacked pig kidney transplant, Richard "Rick" Slayman has passed away. "Our family is deeply saddened about the sudden passing of our beloved Rick but take great comfort knowing he inspired so many," reads a [statement]() issued by Massachusetts General Hospital, where the procedure was conducted. While we still don't know the exact cause of death, the hospital noted that it had "no indication" that Slayman's passing "was the result of his recent transplant." Slayman suffered from end-stage kidney disease. A human donor kidney he received in 2018 started to fail last year, leading to him developing congestive heart failure. The new pig kidney he received in March was created by biotech company eGenesis, which has also bred pigs to [produce livers]() meant for transplantation into a human recipient. Surgeons were initially optimistic, estimating that the new unusual organ would be able to function for [upwards of two years](), based on previous experiments involving monkeys. Despite Slayman's unfortunate passing, the procedure is still an important step forward for xenotransplantation, the nascent field of harvesting donor organs, tissues, and cells, from one species for transplantation in another. The need for alternatives is as dire as it has ever been. More than [100,000 Americans]() are currently waiting to receive a human donor transplant and only 25,000 kidneys are transplanted each year. About [12 people die]() while waiting for a transplant each day in the US. "After his transplant, Rick said that one of the reasons he underwent this procedure was to provide hope for the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive," the hospital's statement reads. "Rick accomplished that goal and his hope and optimism will endure forever." Since Slayman's procedure, [another 54-year-old woman]() from New Jersey became the second human to receive such a pig kidney. Weeks later, she is still alive. **More on the procedure:** *[Patient Leaves Hospital as Transplanted Gene-Hacked Pig Organ Seems to Be Functioning Well]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()