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He Got a Pig Kidney Transplant. Now Doctors Need to Keep It Working

Researchers think a combination of genetic edits and an experimental immunosuppressive drug could make the first pig kidney transplant a long-term success.

Doctors have to strike a balance when prescribing immunosuppressive drugs: too low a dose can lead to rejection, while too much can make a patient vulnerable to infection. In addition to close monitoring and traditional immunosuppressants, Slayman’s medical team is also treating him with an experimental drug called tegoprubart, developed by Eledon Pharmaceuticals of Irvine, California. “It's pretty miraculous this man's out of the hospital a couple of weeks after putting in a pig kidney,” says Steven Perrin, Eledon’s president and chief scientific officer.

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