New York, Mar 21 (AP) Doctors in Boston announced on Thursday they have transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into a 62-year-old patient.

Massachusetts General Hospital said it's the first time a pig kidney has been transplanted into a living person.

Also Read | Antibiotics From India for Use in Animals Seized in UK.

Previously, pig kidneys have been temporarily transplanted into brain-dead donors. Also, two men received heart transplants from pigs, although both died within months.

The transplant was done earlier this month. The patient, Mr. Richard Rick' Slayman of Weymouth, Massachusetts, is recovering well and is expected to be discharged soon, doctors said on Thursday.

Also Read | Terror Attack in Pakistan: Two Soldiers Killed, 15 Injured in Suicide Attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Dera Ismail Khan.

The announcement marks the latest development in xenotransplantation, the term for efforts to try to heal human patients with cells, tissues, or organs from animals. For decades, it didn't work — the human immune system immediately destroyed foreign animal tissue. More recent attempts have involved pigs that have been modified so their organs are more humanlike. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)