US surgeons transplant first pig kidney to live patient

US surgeons have successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into a living patient for the first time, the hospital said Thursday, and a procedure that could help address the chronic shortage of donor organs.

The transplant operation took four hours and was carried out on Saturday on a 62-year-old man suffering from end-stage kidney disease, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) announced on Thursday. The hospital said the patient is recovering well at MGH and is expected to be discharged soon. The procedure marks a major milestone in the quest to provide more readily available organs to patients, MGH said in a statement.