Massachusetts General Hospital surgeons Nahel Elias (left) and Tatsuo Kawai performing the transplant. (Credit: Massachusetts General Hospital/ CC-By-SA-2.0)

In a world first, doctors at the Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General) in Boston have successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into a living person. The March 21, 2024, announcement came just months after the successful completion of similar transplants in deceased individuals. The historic four-hour surgery took place on March 16, 2024. The 15-member transplant team included experts who had spent their entire careers working on organ research.