A heart from a genetically engineered pig was successfully implanted in a 57-year-old man by US surgeons, a medical first that might one day help alleviate the chronic scarcity of organ donors. The "historic" surgery took completed on Friday, according to a statement released by the University of Maryland Medical School on Monday.
David Bennett, the patient, had been ruled out to be ineligible for a human transplant, a decision that is often made when the recipient's underlying condition is extremely poor. He is currently healing and being closely monitored to see how the new organ is doing.
"Either die or undergo the transplant. I'd like to live. I realize it's a shot in the dark, but it's my final option "A day before the operation, the Maryland resident stated.
Bennett, who has been bedridden for several months thanks to a heart-lung bypass machine, adds, "I look forward to getting out of bed once I heal."
"We are going carefully," Griffith said, "but we are also confident that this first-in-the-world surgery will give a crucial new alternative for patients in the future."
It is worth noting that the US Food and Drug Administration gave emergency authorization for the surgery on New Year's Eve under its expanded access (compassionate use) provision.
All about the donor pig
Bennett's donor pig came from a herd that had undergone genetic modification. Three genes that would have resulted in the human rejection of pig organs were "knocked off," as would have resulted in excessive development of pig heart tissue. Six human genes involved in human acceptance were introduced into the genome, totaling ten distinct gene alterations.
The donated organ was stored in an organ-preservation machine before surgery, and the researchers suppressed the immune system with an experimental new medicine developed by Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals in addition to standard anti-rejection drugs.
