The family of the 62-year-old man who underwent the world's first pig kidney transplant has announced his passing.
Richard Slayman had the procedure at Massachusetts General Hospital in March and was discharged two weeks later.
Following his pig kidney transplant on 16 March, his doctors confirmed he no longer needed dialysis after the new organ was said to be functioning well.
"Mr Slayman will forever be seen as a beacon of hope to countless transplant patients worldwide and we are deeply grateful for his trust and willingness to advance the field of xenotransplantation," MGH said in a statement.
Surgeons said they believed the pig kidney would last for at least two years.
Transplants of other organs from genetically modified pigs have failed in the past, but the operation on Mr Slayman was hailed as a historic milestone.
The hospital has stated that there is no indication that Slayman's death was a result of the transplant. Slayman, who lived in Weymouth, had been dealing with Type 2 diabetes and hypertension for a long time before receiving a kidney transplant from a deceased human donor in December 2018.
