First Successful Pig Liver Transplant in Cancer Patient

June 1, 2024

A man with advanced liver cancer who is 71 years old is the first person in history to receive a liver donation from a genetically modified pig. This is a huge step forward in medicine. Doctors at Anhui Medical University’s First Affiliated Hospital in China did this historic treatment, which was written about on May 24. The safe use of pig liver is a big step forward in the field of xenotransplantation, which is the transplantation of organs from animals into people.

Details of the Procedure

A pig liver that had been genetically modified in ten specific ways to lower the risk of organ rejection and other problems was used in the May 17 transfer. The pig liver weighed 514 grams and was designed to work as well in the human body as possible. Interestingly, after the surgery, the transplanted liver started working properly, making about 200 milliliters of bile every day. The patient also showed no signs of immediate or acute rejection, so the liver function and blood clotting stayed normal.

Context and Evolution of Xenotransplantation

Xenotransplantation is not a new idea, but it has become more popular recently. In March, a similar gene-edited pig liver was transplanted into a clinically dead patient in China by a team from the Air Force Medical University. This was the first step toward transplanting organs from animals to living people that worked. In the same month, a U.S. patient at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston also had a major surgery in which a pig’s kidney was transplanted into them.

Significance and Future Outlook

These cutting-edge treatments open up new ways to do organ transplants and might help solve the problem of not having enough human donor organs available for transplants around the world. Using gene-modified animal parts could change the way many people who are waiting for organ transplants are treated. Continuing study, ethical concerns, and government approval are all very important parts of the future of xenotransplantation, just like they are for any other new medical technology. The fact that these transplants went well is also a good sign for what could be a new era in medical science and organ transplant treatment.

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