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Boat test: X-56 The Xtra mile

• Rupert Holmes
• March 14, 2022

The X-Yachts X56 is built to be the marque's new flagship, designed to combine luxury, style and power with a practical and seamanlike approach for extended cruising

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Price as reviewed:.

Large cruising yachts are enormously appealing, but it’s imperative that they’re easy to tame in deteriorating weather. Yet if this is achieved through making the boat underpowered it will be a disappointment in lighter winds. Striking the balance between the two is therefore a key factor in establishing a successful new model, as X-Yachts would clearly like the X-Yachts X56 to be.

My first sail on the X-Yachts X56 was in very light airs, with just 3-7 knots of true wind, but even this revealed important insights about how well the boat might handle challenging conditions. With the Code 0 set we made speeds that belied its near 20 tonne displacement, hovering at around 80% of the true wind speed at an apparent wind angle of 45-50°. We achieved 2.8 knots of speed in just 3.5 knots of true wind, rising to a very useful 6.2 knots in 7 knots.

At the same time, it felt like sailing a smaller, lighter and surprisingly nimble boat. We even had enough steerage to tack with only the mainsail set in just five knots of wind.

A boat that’s so easily driven allows sail to be shortened well in advance of worsening weather, without losing much speed. At the same time, this design’s very high stability, achieved through a combination of deep draught with low-slung ballast and massive form stability, means fewer sail handling operations are needed – each sail plan works over a wider range of wind strengths.

Therefore an increase in wind of a scale that might force other boats to tuck in an extra reef can often be handled simply by trimming the sails to depower a little.

For my next trial, a few days later, we had 15-17 knots, accompanied by a large and confused sea. Upwind with full sail we made around 7-7.5 knots, with a comfortable motion, despite the sea state. There was no hint of slamming – the boat simply shouldered the seas aside, providing an impressively dry ride.

Bearing off just 5° saw the X-Yachts X56’s speed jump to 8.0 knots, demonstrating an ability to make good daily runs while on passage. On bearing away further, to a true wind angle of 110°, and deploying the Code 0, we accelerated to a relaxed and effortless 9-10 knots in 17 knots of true breeze.

Making good speed in light airs under Code 0. Photo: Mikkel Groth

X-perienced feedback

The test boat we were sailing is the 10th X-Yacht for this particular owner, having started with a 26ft X-79 many years ago. It’s set up for very long distance short-handed sailing – including transatlantic crossings – with the autopilot expected to be in use 99% of the time.

Because of this the X-Yachts X56 has twin parallel systems for redundancy, each with a permanently connected hydraulic ram resulting in a heavy helm without much direct feel. Even so, the boat itself was responsive at all times and was nicely balanced, with just a fraction of weather helm upwind.

X-Yachts offers a number of headsail configurations, with an 88% self-tacking jib on the main forestay as standard equipment. Our test boat, however, is set up with a more flexible arrangement, including a larger, marginally overlapping headsail, plus an inner forestay with a self-tacking furling staysail, and in-boom mainsail reefing. The latter is an option chosen by around 70% of owners buying a Pure X model from the X43 upwards.

We also had the benefit of a Reckmann electric top-down furler for the Code 0. This is mounted at the inboard end of the fixed bowsprit and makes the sail almost effortless to wrap away. Asymmetric spinnakers can also be flown from the tip of the sprit.

This means it’s easy to select the appropriate sail area for different conditions, with very little compromise on sail shape. It’s an excellent combination that should enable small teams to translate the boat’s potential into numerous easy 200-plus mile days.

Plenty of canvas both for sailpower and protection. Our test boat was set up to make sail handling easy, without compromising sail shapes. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY

Although the primary purpose of the self-tacking staysail is to avoid having to use an inefficient deep-reefed headsail in winds well over 20 knots, it also offers the enticing prospect of easy handling in confined waters.

Even in only 13-14 knots of true wind and an awkward sea state, with the staysail and full main we made around 6 knots close-hauled and, of course, were able to tack repeatedly without touching the sheets. It’s a great arrangement and illustrates how versatile it is to have a boat that will maintain speed, even when under-canvassed.

The standard rig has a keel-stepped triple spreader mast with oversized discontinuous rod rigging, while carbon spars are optional. Lines are led aft to winches on the cockpit coamings well ahead of the helm stations. In our case these were the beefy optional electric Andersen 72 units, which make for speedy sail handling and eliminate the need for powered headsail furlers.

Positioning the winches on the coamings minimises the number of deflections in each line that add friction and loads. The downside, compared to winches on a pedestal further inboard, is that they are harder to work, especially when short-handed.

I’m often critical of boats where sheets can’t easily be trimmed from the helm, but the loads of a yacht of this size make this impractical for much of the time. Once you accept that, it makes sense to position the winches where there’s ample space to work them.

There’s plenty to hold onto in the cockpit when the boat is well heeled. Photo: Mikkel Groth

Cockpit solutions

Three options for the mainsheet are offered: a German system with a simple padeye in the cockpit floor, or a recessed traveller. The third option, as fitted to our test boat, is a central pedestal with an electric winch. It’s an arrangement that works well and frees up the remaining winches for other operations.

Maximum beam is carried right aft, yet the cockpit doesn’t feel as though it’s defined by the wide open spaces of many of today’s broad transom, twin rudder yachts. This helps confer a feeling of safety and security at sea, yet there’s still plenty of space. On one of my test sails we had seven people on board, with no hint of it feeling crowded.

Helm station pods have ample space for big MFDs, plus controls for thrusters, windlass, Code 0 furler and so on. Photo: Mikkel Groth

Although the transom is open, helm stations are forward of the stern rail and there’s a central two-person bench seat aft that incorporates liferaft stowage. The back of the boat therefore doesn’t feel unduly exposed. Particularly wide side decks, secure deep bulwarks and a low profile coachroof all help to make it easy to move around when going forward. The optional low-profile sprayhood gives an aerodynamic shape and has obvious appeal to anyone with a racing background, but the sleek shape means there’s not full standing headroom beneath, so many owners are likely to opt for the full-height standard version. Both stow neatly beneath teak faced deck panels when not in use.

External stowage includes a large tender garage that will accommodate a 3.0m RIB, with a crane for launch, recovery and stowage. There are lockers under each of the cockpit benches, while the sail locker forward has enough room to be fitted out as a skipper’s cabin if required.

The cockpit table is a conventional central unit with two folding leaves and space for a drinks fridge. This means there’s no central walkway from the transom to the companionway but it doesn’t seem to matter, as the table is large enough for several people to sit on one side, keeping the other side clear other than at meal times.

Joinery is of a high standard, in a choice of Nordic oak or teak. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY

Pace with space

For a performance yacht with a hull length of just under 55ft there’s an impressive amount of internal volume, and with the X-Yachts X56 the yard has aimed to lift the style and level of interior finish to a notch above the existing models in this range. As standard the joinery is in a very attractive Nordic oak, with teak as an option. There’s a wide choice of soft furnishings and X-Yachts is happy to work with owners to create a style to suit their tastes.

Delving around the details of a new yacht’s interior can reveal much about how well it’s set up for long distance passagemaking and living on board for extended periods. X-Yachts has clearly spent a lot of time and budget to get this aspect of the X56 right, although the standard tankage is on the small side for anyone contemplating long periods of autonomy. Two choices are offered for the galley layout, with the test boat having a conventional U-shaped arrangement. The other option is a more open layout with a central island unit, but less worktop and stowage space.

The owner’s cabin is bright and well appointed. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY

Both should work well at sea, while allowing space for the cook to have assistance when in port. Stowage is very well organised in both cases and there’s provision for a huge amount of refrigeration, including a double-size top and front-loading unit, a drinks fridge and a further unit at the aft end of the central section of the galley. Our test boat also has a small dishwasher.

The full-width saloon has separate dining and lounging areas to port and starboard respectively. The latter has a deep domestic style settee with thick cushions, which helps make this a lovely space in which to relax, yet it’s a very practical arrangement for a serious sea-going yacht. There’s also a proper forward-facing navstation, although this is too far forward for easy communication with the cockpit.

The owner’s cabin is well lit thanks to a pair of hull windows, two opening overhead hatches and forward facing coachroof windows. There’s stowage to starboard in a big cabinet, under the aft end of the bed and in four useful eye-level lockers each side. Nevertheless, the total stowage volume is not overly generous for those who plan to sail in cooler climates and there’s no dressing table or desk area. On the plus side, the en-suite is nicely appointed, a good size, and with a separate shower stall.

Galley layout with the island unit option. Photo: Andreas Lindlahr/EYOTY

As standard a large single heads compartment aft, with separate shower, serves both the aft cabins and day time use. There’s also an option for a third heads, at the expense of some galley space and aft cabin stowage.

Both aft cabins are impressively large and don’t feel as though they are tucked away under the cockpit. They are wide enough for twin berths that convert easily to large doubles. There’s also provision for a washer/dryer in part of the port cabin’s big hanging locker.

Any yacht of this size is a complex entity that has potential to be difficult to look after, especially in far-flung parts of the globe. X-Yachts therefore steers clients towards a standard list of options. These are well proven products that engineers more or less anywhere in the world are likely to have encountered already and have established supply chains for spares. It’s a commendable policy that ought to reassure owners. In extremis, if neither a local engineer, nor the local X-Yachts dealer, is able to solve a problem, the yard can fly a staff member out to a boat anywhere in the world.

On a more detailed level, time and effort have obviously been expended on ensuring deck gear is easy to look after. For example, fastenings for turning blocks and other fittings are accessible via access panels in the deckhead, which facilitates maintenance.

The construction of X-Yachts is also worthy of note. Since 2018 this has been of epoxy infusion, with hulls baked at 70˚C for 24 hours. It’s much more expensive than using conventional polyester resins, but results in more reliable laminates, as well as a lighter vessel that’s both stronger and stiffer.

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Overall the concept behind this design and its general set up is very impressive. The X56 is a real sailor’s boat, but one that also offers enormous comfort and style. It’s bang up to date, yet the execution is extremely seamanlike and well thought through, making it one of the most appealing yachts of its size that I’ve sailed for a long time. A slippery hull shape combined with powerful rig will minimise the amount of time spent under power, yet the massive stability will be enormously reassuring in heavy weather. The sail plan of our test boat suits this design perfectly, providing plenty of power when necessary, while allowing the boat to be safely snugged down well ahead of challenging weather.

If you live outside of Europe, please contact the yard directly for ordering, at [email protected]

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Tiffany haddish says she's almost three months sober, claims court ordered, tiffany haddish off substances after dui arrest ... court-mandated sobriety, 397 3/23/2024 3:05 pm pt.

Tiffany Haddish is living a straight-and-narrow existence ... saying she's been off substances for well over two months -- though admitting it's not totally by choice.

The comedian joined "The Conversation with Amanda de Cadenet" Friday where she revealed she's living the sober life these days ... claiming she hasn't drunk, smoked weed or done anything else in about 72 days.

TH says it hasn't been super hard for her ... 'cause she says she's never been a big user of substances anyway -- so she's cool with giving all that up.

But, don't get fooled ... Haddish isn't totally making that decision on her own -- 'cause she claims she's actually been ordered by a judge to lay off any and all substances.

Tiffany also adds she would've fought her most recent DUI charge if the stress wasn't doing a number on her health -- saying she was just driving while tired.

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Old news is old news be first.

From Russia, Elaborate Tales of Fake Journalists

As the Ukraine war grinds on, the Kremlin has created increasingly complex fabrications online to discredit Ukraine’s leader and undercut aid. Some have a Hollywood-style plot twist.

Credit... Devin Oktar Yalkin for The New York Times

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By Steven Lee Myers

• Published March 18, 2024 Updated March 21, 2024

A young man calling himself Mohamed al-Alawi appeared in a YouTube video in August. He described himself as an investigative journalist in Egypt with a big scoop: The mother-in-law of Ukraine’s president had purchased a villa near Angelina Jolie’s in El Gouna, a resort town on the Red Sea.

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Open this article in the New York Times Audio app on iOS.

The story, it turned out, was not true. Ukraine denied it, and the owner of the villa refuted it. Also disconnected from reality: Alawi’s claim to being a journalist.

Still, his story caromed through social media and news outlets from Egypt to Nigeria and ultimately to Russia — which, according to researchers, is where the story all began.

The story seemed to fade, but not for long. Four months later, two new videos appeared on YouTube. They said Mohamed al-Alawi had been beaten to death in Hurghada, a town about 20 miles south of El Gouna. The suspected killers, according to the videos: Ukraine’s secret service agents.

These claims were no more factual than the first, but they gave new life to the old lie. Another round of posts and news reports ultimately reached millions of internet users around the world, elevating the narrative so much that it was even echoed by members of the U.S. Congress while debating continued military assistance to Ukraine.

Ever since its forces invaded two years ago , Russia has unleashed a torrent of disinformation to try to discredit Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, and undermine the country’s support in the West.

This saga, though, introduced a new gambit: a protracted and elaborately constructed narrative built online around a fictitious character and embellished with seemingly realistic detail and a plot twist worthy of Netflix.

“They never brought back a character before,” said Darren Linvill, a professor and director of the Media Forensics Hub at Clemson University, who has extensively studied Russian disinformation.

The campaign shows how deftly Russia’s information warriors have shifted to new tactics and targets as the war in Ukraine has dragged on, just as Russian forces on the ground in Ukraine have adjusted tactics after devastating battlefield losses.

Groups with ties to the Kremlin continue to float new narratives when old ones fail to stick or grow stale, using fake or altered videos or recordings and finding or creating new outlets to spread disinformation, including ones purporting to be American news sites .

A video appeared on TikTok last month claiming to show a Ukrainian doctor working for Pfizer accusing the company of conducting unlawful tests on children. On the social network X, a man claiming to be an associate producer for Paramount Pictures spun a tale about a Hollywood biopic on Mr. Zelensky’s life.

The tale attributed to Mohamed al-Alawi is not even the only baseless allegation that Mr. Zelensky had secretly purchased properties abroad using Western financial assistance. Other versions — each seemingly tailored for a specific geographic audience — have detailed a mansion in Vero Beach, Fla., and a retreat in Germany once used by Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi minister of propaganda.

The Russians have “demonstrated adaptability through the war on Ukraine,” Microsoft wrote in a recent report that disclosed Russia’s fraudulent use of recorded messages by famous actors and celebrities on the Cameo app to try to smear Mr. Zelensky as a drug addict.

Even when debunked, fabrications like these have proved exceedingly difficult to extinguish entirely.

YouTube took down the initial video of the character Mohamed al-Alawi, linking it to two other accounts that had previously violated the company’s policies. The accusation still circulates, however, especially on platforms, like X and Telegram, that experts say do little to block accounts generating inauthentic or automated activity. Some of the posts about the video appear to have used text or audio created with artificial intelligence tools; many are amplified by networks of bots intended to create the impression that the content is popular.

What links the narratives to Russia is not only the content disparaging Ukraine but also the networks that circulate them. They include news outlets and social media accounts that private and government researchers have linked to previous Kremlin campaigns.

“They’re trolling for a susceptible (and seemingly abundant) slice of citizens who amplify their garbage enough to muddy the waters of our discourse, and from there our policies,” said Rita Katz, the director of the SITE Intelligence Group, an American company that tracks extremist activity online and investigated the false claims about the villa.

The Making of a Fake Journalist

The video first appeared on Aug. 20 on a newly created YouTube account that had no previous activity and almost no followers, according to the Institute of Strategic Dialogue, a global nonprofit research organization in London, which traced the video’s spread.

The man appeared in a poorly lit room reading from his computer screen, which was reflected in his thick glasses. He appeared to be a real person, but it has not been possible to verify his actual identity. No one by the name of Mohamed al-Alawi appears to have produced any previous articles or videos, as would be expected of a journalist. According to ActiveFence, an internet security company, the character has no educational or work history, and no network of friends or social connections online.

The video, though, showed what purported to be photographs of a purchase contract and of the villa itself, creating a veneer of authenticity for credulous viewers. The property is, in fact, part of a resort owned by Orascom Development, whose website highlights El Gouna’s “year-round sunshine, shimmering lagoons, sandy beaches and azure waters.”

An article about the video’s claim appeared two days later as a paid advertisement, or branded content, on Punch, a news outlet in Nigeria, as well as three other Nigerian websites that aggregate news and entertainment content.

The article had the byline of Arthur Nkono, who according to internet searches does not appear to have written any other articles. The article quoted a political scientist, Abdrulrahman Alabassy, who likewise appears not to exist except in accounts linking the villa to the corrupt use of Western financial aid to Ukraine. (Punch, which later removed the post, did not respond to requests for comment.)

A day later, the claim made its first appearance on X in a post by Sonja van den Ende, an activist in the Netherlands, whose articles have previously appeared on propaganda outlets linked to the Russian government, according to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. (She also served as an election observer in an occupied territory of Ukraine during Russian parliamentary elections in September.)

Within days, reports about the villa appeared on X in French and Romanian, and in English on three different Reddit forums.

According to Roberta Duffield, director of intelligence for Blackbird.AI, an internet security company, nearly 29 percent of the accounts amplifying the reports appeared to be inauthentic bots, an unusually high number that would normally indicate a coordinated campaign.

Eight days after the video appeared, Russia state television networks like Channel One, Rossiya 24 and RT (in Arabic and German) reported it as a major revelation uncovered by a renowned Egyptian investigative journalist.

The story seemed to stall there. Naguib Sawiris, the scion of the Egyptian family that owned the development, curtly denied the sale in a reply on X.

And no more was heard from or about the character called Mohamed al-Alawi — until late December.

That was when two new videos emerged on a YouTube channel called “Egypt News,” claiming that he was dead.

The channel had been created the day before. One video showed a man identified as Alawi’s brother, Ahmed, answering questions from another man.

The police, he said, told him that they suspected his brother had been beaten to death by “Ukrainian special forces who acted on behalf of President Zelensky or another high-ranking official.”

He spoke with his hand cupped over his face to obscure his identity. The other video showed what was said to be the site of an attack, though the images were indistinct. “I can’t tell you anything else,” he said in the video, which YouTube later removed. “I’m afraid for my family.”

The video also tried to explain away some of the obvious holes in the initial story, including why there was no evidence online of Alawi’s previous work. “It was his first big assignment,” the man said.

The new episode spread as the first video had. A day later, an article about the death appeared on an obscure website created last year called El Mostaqbal, a name similar to but unrelated to the actual news organization in Lebanon.

“A reporter who announced that Zelensky’s mother-in-law brought a luxury villa has died under mysterious circumstances,” the headline read. Other reports that followed dropped any uncertainty and began referring to his “murder.”

In fact, Egypt’s Ministry of the Interior said there were no reports or evidence that anyone resembling the man in the video had been “subjected to harm.” The statement went on to note that the property itself had not been sold.

Still, according to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, posts about the supposed killing were viewed a million times on X on Dec. 25.

It also appeared on the website of the Middle East Monitor, or MEMO, operated by a well-known nonprofit organization in London and financed by the government of Qatar. A journalist who once reported from Moscow for The Telegraph of London, Ben Aris, cited it at length on the platform, though, when challenged, he said he had just made note of the rumor. “I don’t have time to check all this stuff myself,” he wrote.

It appeared in English on a site, Clear Story News, that Mr. Linvill of Clemson’s Media Forensics Hub had previously linked to Russia’s disinformation efforts. (The site lists no contact information)

Mr. Linvill described the process as a form of “narrative laundering” — moving false claims from unknown or not credible sources to ones that, to the unwitting at least, seem more legitimate.

More Elaborate Narratives

The Institute for Strategic Dialogue studied three other complex narratives about Ukraine, as well.

One featured a French journalist who claimed that the son of George Soros — a regular target of Russian and far-right political attacks — had secretly acquired land for a toxic waste dump in Ukraine. An unnamed doctor in Africa said in another that an American medical charity, the Global Surgical and Medical Support Group, was harvesting the organs of wounded Ukrainian soldiers for transplants for NATO officers.

Then there was the case of a man calling himself Shahzad Nasir, whose profile on X identifies him as a journalist with Emirates 24/7, an English-language news outlet in Dubai, though he has no apparent bylines on the site.

In November, he claimed that cronies of Mr. Zelensky bought two yachts — Lucky Me and My Legacy — for $75 million. His evidence, like Mohamed al-Alawi’s, includes photographs of the vessels and purported purchase agreements.

In fact, as the BBC documented in December, the yachts had not been purchased and remained for sale. Despite numerous efforts by fact checkers to dispel it as rumor, the claim circulated extensively.

Last month, the character Nasir reappeared in another video. This time he had a new version of the tale, claiming that the purchases had been scuttled after he exposed the secret deal.

The ramifications of these campaigns are difficult to measure precisely. There are signs, though, that they resonate even when proved false.

Senator J.D. Vance, a Republican of Ohio and an outspoken critic of Ukraine aid, seemed to embrace the claim in December during an interview on “War Room,” the podcast hosted by Stephen K. Bannon, the onetime adviser to former President Donald J. Trump.

“There are people who would cut Social Security — throw our grandparents into poverty — why?” Mr. Vance said. “So that one of Zelensky’s ministers can buy a bigger yacht?”

That prompted a public rebuke this month from a Republican colleague, Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who ridiculed those who repeat unproven allegations.

“They’ve heard somebody say that if we pass this bill, that we’re all going to go ride to Kyiv with buckets full of money and let oligarchs buy yachts!” he said of critics of the assistance to Ukraine, in what he later called a reference to Mr. Vance’s comments. “I wonder how the spouses of the estimated 25,000 soldiers in Ukraine who have died feel about that? I mean, really, guys?”

Karoun Demirjian contributed reporting.

Audio produced by Parin Behrooz .

An earlier version of this article misstated, in one reference, the name of a group at Clemson University that studies disinformation. It is the Media Forensics Hub, not the Digital Media Hub.

How we handle corrections

Steven Lee Myers covers misinformation for The Times. He has worked in Washington, Moscow, Baghdad and Beijing, where he contributed to the articles that won the Pulitzer Prize for public service in 2021. He is also the author of “The New Tsar: The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin.” More about Steven Lee Myers

Our Coverage of the War in Ukraine

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Russian missiles streaked into Kyiv  in the biggest assault on the Ukrainian capital in weeks, injuring several people and damaging several buildings.

Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s top national security official, made a secret trip to Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky and reaffirm the United States’ unwavering commitment to Ukraine.

Under pressure to come up with billions of dollars to support Ukraine’s military, the E.U. said that it had devised a legal way to use frozen Russian assets  to help arm Ukraine.

Symbolism or Strategy?: Ukrainians say that defending places with little strategic value is worth the cost in casualties and weapons , because the attacking Russians pay an even higher price. American officials aren’t so sure.

Elaborate Tales: As the Ukraine war grinds on, the Kremlin has created increasingly complex fabrications online  to discredit Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, and undermine the country’s support in the West.

Targeting Russia’s Oil Industry: With its army short of ammunition and troops to break the deadlock on the battlefield, Kyiv has increasingly taken the fight beyond the Ukrainian border, attacking oil infrastructure deep in Russian territory .

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First human transplant of a genetically modified pig kidney performed

Surgeons perform the first transplant of a genetically modified pig kidney into a living human at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Michelle Rose/Massachusetts General Hospital hide caption

Surgeons perform the first transplant of a genetically modified pig kidney into a living human at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

For the first time, surgeons have transplanted a kidney from a genetically modified pig into a living person, doctors in Boston said Thursday.

Richard Slayman, 62, of Weymouth, Mass., who is suffering from end-stage kidney disease , received the organ Saturday in a four-hour procedure, Massachusetts General Hospital announced . He is recovering well and is expected to be discharged Saturday, the hospital said.

"I saw it not only as a way to help me, but a way to provide hope for the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive," Slayman said in a statement released by the hospital.

The procedure is the latest development in a fast-moving race to create genetically modified pigs to provide kidneys, livers, hearts and other organs to help alleviate the shortage of organs for people who need transplants.

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How genetically modified pigs could end the shortage of organs for transplants.

"Our hope is that this transplant approach will offer a lifeline to millions of patients worldwide who are suffering from kidney failure," said Dr. Tatsuo Kawai, the hospital's director for clinical transplant tolerance, in the hospital statement.

Animal organs could ease transplant shortage

Several biotech companies are racing to develop a supply of cloned pigs whose DNA has been genetically modified so they won't be rejected by the human body, spread pig viruses to people or cause other complications. NPR recently got exclusive access to a research farm breeding these animals for a company in this competition, Revivicor Inc. of Blacksburg, Va.

The kidney transplanted in Boston came from a pig created by eGenesis of Cambridge, Mass. The eGenesis pigs are bred with 69 genetic modifications to prepare organs for human transplantation. The changes protect against a virus known to infect pigs as well as delete pig genes and add human genes to make the organs compatible with people.

"We are grateful for the courageous contribution of the patient and to the advancement of transplantation science," said Mike Curtis, chief executive officer for eGenesis in the statement. "This represents a new frontier in medicine and demonstrates the potential of genome engineering to change the live of millions of patients."

The Government's Plan To Fix A Broken Organ Transplant System

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The field is stirring excitement about harnessing cloning and gene-editing technologies to solve the persistent shortage of organs for human transplantation. More than 103,000 people are currently on the waiting list for organs. About 17 die every day because they can't get one.

End-stage renal disease is 3.8 times more common among Black people than white people in the U.S., according to federal statistics .

The transplant "represents a potential breakthrough in solving one of the more intractable problems in our field, that being unequal access for ethnic minority patients to the opportunity for kidney transplants due to the extreme donor organ shortage and other system-based barriers," said Dr. Winfred Williams, the kidney specialist treating Slayman, who is a Black man.

Reservations about using animal organs in people

But the research is also raising several concerns. One worry is about the possibility of spreading animal viruses to humans. Another is about slaughtering thousands of animals every year to harvest their organs.

"I think we need to be very, very careful," L. Syd M. Johnson , a bioethicist at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y., told NPR. "I have a lot of concerns about a therapy that is very much unproven."

Some also question testing these organs on gravely ill patients.

"If the FDA wants to explore the use of pig kidneys in humans, it would be better to authorize a phase I clinical trial so we can begin to gather more systematic evidence about this," Michael Gusmano , a bioethicist at Lehigh University, wrote NPR in an email.

Surgeons have already transplanted kidneys and livers from genetically modified cloned pigs into baboons and a handful of brain dead people. Surgeons at the University of Maryland even tested hearts in two men who had run out of other options. They lived for several weeks after the procedures.

Slayman got a human kidney transplant after being on dialysis for seven years, according to the hospital. But his transplanted kidney showed signs of failure after about five years, forcing Slayman to resume dialysis last May. He's since been suffering serious complications.

The transplant of the pig kidney was made possible by the Food and Drug Administration as part of a " compassionate use " program aimed at helping desperate patients.

"When my transplanted kidney began failing in 2023, I again trusted my care team at MGH to meet my goals of not just improving my quality of life but extending it," Slayman said in the hospital's statement, adding the doctors explained the "pros and cons of this procedure."

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• massachusetts general
• kidney disease
• kidney transplant