After he entered history as the first person to transmit a genetically modified pig’s heart to him, American David Bennett died, at the age of 57, two months after the historic surgery, according to what Reuters reported.
David Bennett was suffering from chronic heart disease, and underwent a heart transplant on the seventh of last January.
The Food and Drug Administration granted emergency clearance for the surgery on New Year’s Eve, as a last-ditch step for a patient who did not qualify for the traditional transplant.
At the time of the operation, the surgeon who performed it, Bartley Griffiths, said:
“This is a ground-breaking surgery that brings us one step closer to solving the organ shortage crisis.”
In previous statements, the director of the animal organ transplantation program at the University of Maryland College of Medicine, Dr Mohieldin, who is the co-leader of the team of surgeons who performed the surgery, revealed that the operation “went without any obstacles except for a little discrepancy between the two hearts.” “.
To overcome this, researchers at the University of Maryland modified 10 genes in the pig’s heart, and turned off 3 genes that could lead to immediate immune rejection, and 6 human genes were added to prevent blood from clotting in the heart, improving molecular compatibility and reducing the risk of rejection.
Mohieldin pointed out that choosing the pig’s heart specifically for implantation inside the patient comes due to its size, growth rate, ability to modify genes, and the lack of ethical problems regarding the surgery itself.
The medical team used a new experimental drug developed by Mohieldin in part to suppress the immune system and prevent rejection, and also used a new perfusion device to preserve the pig’s heart until surgery.
Regarding the categories authorized to perform such surgeries, Mohieldin said, “Putting the pig’s heart into human bodies will be for patients with restricted heart diseases.”
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