The Facts
Surgeons in Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital announced Thursday that a 62-year-old man with end-stage renal disease had become the first living human being to receive a kidney from a genetically modified pig.
The four-hour procedure was performed on Richard Slayman of Weymouth, Massachusetts. on March 16. According to the hospital, he will be discharged soon and his recovery is going well.
The Spin
Narrative A
This outstanding development opens a new frontier in medicine and demonstrates the potential of genome engineering to change the lives of millions of patients facing acute organ shortages worldwide. In addition, if human-compatible kidneys from gene-edited animals can be successfully transplanted on a large scale, dialysis will become obsolete. While there's a long way to go, the dream of xenotransplantation finally seems within reach, which is a promising sign.
Narrative B
While xenotransplantation could make the organs more compatible and less likely to be rejected by the human immune system, it would lead to greater animal exploitation and the spillover of animal viruses to humans. Pigs are sentient creatures who feel fear and pain and shouldn't be treated as a source of spare parts. Researchers need to focus on cleaning up the organ donation system — including making organ donation opt-out — and leave the animals alone.