Doctors in China perform world’s first pig-to-human transplant, patient survives 171 days

‎Surgeons at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University in China successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig liver into a 71-year-old patient in May 2024.
‎
‎The patient survived for 171 days, marking the longest survival ever recorded for a pig-to-human liver transplant.The recipient was suffering from liver disease caused by hepatitis B and liver cancer, rendering him unsuitable for conventional surgery or a human donor liver.
‎
‎Doctors used a liver from an 11-month-old Diannan miniature pig that had undergone ten gene modifications to reduce immune rejection and improve blood clotting compatibility.
‎
‎Initially, the transplant worked exceptionally well, with the liver producing bile and critical blood-clotting proteins without immediate rejection. However, complications linked to immune responses and blood vessel damage emerged around day 38.
‎
‎Despite treatment efforts, the patient experienced repeated internal bleeding and passed away on day 171.
‎
‎The World Health Organization estimates thousands of people worldwide die while awaiting liver transplants. In China, liver failure affects hundreds of thousands, but only a fraction receive transplants each year.
‎
‎ Xenotransplantation, the transplantation of animal organs into humans, could significantly reduce this shortage. Pigs are considered ideal donors due to organ size compatibility and recent advances in gene-editing technology.
‎
‎Previous achievements include the first genetically modified pig heart transplant in the U.S. in 2022 and a pig kidney transplant in 2024.
‎
‎