The first person to receive a gene-edited heart of a pig has died two months after getting a historic transplant.
David Bennett, 57, had received his transplant on January 7 and passed away on March 8, the University of Maryland Medical System said in a statement.
“There was no obvious cause identified at the time of his death,” a hospital spokesman told AFP, adding that physicians were carrying out a review that would be published in a scientific journal.
The procedure raised hopes that advances in cross-species organ donation could one day solve the chronic shortage of human organs available for donation, and the team behind the operation say they are “optimistic” about its future success.
Muhammad Mohiuddin, director of the university’s cardiac xenotransplantation program, did however say in a video statement that Bennett was having “infectious episodes.”
“We were having difficulty maintaining a balance between his immunosuppression and controlling his infection,” he said.
Bennett’s condition began deteriorating several days ago. After it became clear that he would not recover, he was given compassionate palliative care. He was able to communicate with his family during his final hours, a hospital statement said.
Following surgery, the transplanted heart had performed very well for several weeks without any signs of rejection, the hospital added.
Bennett’s son praised the hospital for offering the last-ditch experiment, saying the family hoped it would help further efforts to end the organ shortage.
“We are grateful for every innovative moment, every crazy dream, every sleepless night that went into this historic effort,” David Bennett Jr. said in a statement released by the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “We hope this story can be the beginning of hope and not the end.”
Doctors for decades have sought to one day use animal organs for life-saving transplants. Bennett, a handyman from Hagerstown, Maryland, was a candidate for this newest attempt only because he otherwise faced certain death — ineligible for a human heart transplant, bedridden and on life support, and out of other options.
David Bennett, 57, had received his transplant on January 7 and passed away on March 8, the University of Maryland Medical System said in a statement.
“There was no obvious cause identified at the time of his death,” a hospital spokesman told AFP, adding that physicians were carrying out a review that would be published in a scientific journal.
The procedure raised hopes that advances in cross-species organ donation could one day solve the chronic shortage of human organs available for donation, and the team behind the operation say they are “optimistic” about its future success.
Muhammad Mohiuddin, director of the university’s cardiac xenotransplantation program, did however say in a video statement that Bennett was having “infectious episodes.”
“We were having difficulty maintaining a balance between his immunosuppression and controlling his infection,” he said.
Bennett’s condition began deteriorating several days ago. After it became clear that he would not recover, he was given compassionate palliative care. He was able to communicate with his family during his final hours, a hospital statement said.
Following surgery, the transplanted heart had performed very well for several weeks without any signs of rejection, the hospital added.
Bennett’s son praised the hospital for offering the last-ditch experiment, saying the family hoped it would help further efforts to end the organ shortage.
“We are grateful for every innovative moment, every crazy dream, every sleepless night that went into this historic effort,” David Bennett Jr. said in a statement released by the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “We hope this story can be the beginning of hope and not the end.”
Doctors for decades have sought to one day use animal organs for life-saving transplants. Bennett, a handyman from Hagerstown, Maryland, was a candidate for this newest attempt only because he otherwise faced certain death — ineligible for a human heart transplant, bedridden and on life support, and out of other options.
