For patients waiting for a life-saving transplant, the shortage of donor organs remains one of medicine’s biggest challenges. Every year, thousands die before a suitable organ becomes available, driving scientists to explore alternative solutions.
According to reports from Xinhua News Agency, the South China Morning Post and Anadolu Agency, researchers in China have achieved a breakthrough that could help reshape the future of transplantation.
Surgeons at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University successfully transplanted a gene-edited pig liver and two pig kidneys into a human recipient, reports Aa.com.
A world First
The procedure was performed on a brain-dead patient as part of a scientific study. Researchers wanted to determine whether multiple genetically modified pig organs could function together inside a human body.
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Led by Professor Dou Kefeng of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the team monitored the organs for nearly five days following the transplant.
The results were encouraging. The liver produced bile, while the kidneys generated urine and maintained stable blood circulation, suggesting all three organs were operating normally.
Why it matters
One of the biggest hurdles in xenotransplantation, the use of animal organs in humans, is immune rejection. To reduce this risk, the donor pig underwent several genetic modifications designed to improve compatibility with human biology.
Researchers reported no signs of hyperacute rejection during the observation period, a key milestone for the field.
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While the experiment was not intended as a long-term treatment, experts believe it provides valuable evidence that multiple pig organs can function simultaneously in a human recipient.
If future studies confirm these findings, the technology could eventually help address the global shortage of donor organs.
Sources: Aa.com
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This article is made and published by Mie Hermansen, who may have used AI in the preparation.