Scientists in China have made a groundbreaking achievement in medical science by successfully performing the world’s first pig lung transplant into a human. The procedure, conducted at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangshou Medical University in China, marks a significant advancement in the field of xenotransplantation, the use of organs from one species in another.
The recipient, a 39-year-old man, became the first to receive a genetically modified pig lung. According to a report published in the journal Nature on August 26, the transplant was carried out last year, with the pig lung having been edited with six genomic modifications. The modifications, made by research firm Chengdu Clonorgan Biotechnology, were designed to reduce the risk of immune rejection and improve the compatibility of the organ with the human body.
Following the transplant, the lung was monitored for 216 hours, during which it showed no signs of rejection or infection. Despite some initial complications, including lung swelling and tissue damage observed in the first 24 hours, the organ functioned for nine days. However, the study was concluded at the request of the patient’s family on the ninth day, indicating that the procedure may not have been viable in the long term.
Although the patient was brain-dead after experiencing a cerebral hemorrhage, the survival of the pig lung for nine days is a major milestone. This success is particularly notable because lungs are considered some of the most difficult organs to transplant due to their vulnerability to the human immune system. Muhammad Mohiuddin, a surgeon and researcher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, noted that this achievement is a