Xi'an patient undergoes world's 1st successful full pig liver transplant

Doctors in Northwest China have successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig liver fully into a human body, achieving what they say is a major breakthrough in xenotransplantation.

The procedure, carried out on a brain-dead patient at Xijing Hospital in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, was the world's first full human liver replacement using a pig liver. The 10-hour operation was led by Dou Kefeng, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Tao Kaishan, head of the hospital's hepatobiliary surgery department, with support from over 10 medical departments.

"This represents the first attempt globally to completely replace a recipient's liver with a pig liver," Dou said.

The brain-dead person, diagnosed after extensive resuscitation efforts, displayed stable vital signs and liver function following the procedure, the hospital said.

The surgery involved several stages, including the excision of the donor pig liver, removal of the patient's liver, implantation of the genetically modified liver and reconstruction of the arterial vein.

Doctors said the complexity of liver transplantation — due to the organ's role in metabolism, coagulation and immunity — added to the challenge.

Xijing Hospital emphasized that the procedure adhered to international xenotransplantation standards and received approval from various ethics committees.

China faces a severe shortage of human livers, with nearly 400 million people suffering from liver-related conditions and 7 million diagnosed with cirrhosis. The number of patients with liver failure increases by 300,000 to 500,000 per year.

The success of the pig liver transplant highlights the potential of xenotransplantation to alleviate this crisis, hospital officials said. Unlike traditional transplants, this approach bypasses reliance on limited human donor organs.

"This groundbreaking surgery suggests genetically modified pig livers could serve as a viable alternative for human liver transplants, particularly in the early stages of clinical application," Dou said.

The hospital began researching xenogeneic transplantation in 2013 and has since carried out experimental transplants involving kidneys, hearts, skin and corneas. Globally, at least 21 xenogeneic organ transplants have been performed since the first genetically modified pig kidney was transplanted into a brain-dead patient in the United States in 2021.