Gene-edited pig kidney transplanted successfully in Xi'an

Doctors at Xijing Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, recently transplanted a multi-gene-edited pig kidney into a patient with end-stage renal disease, achieving another groundbreaking milestone in xenotransplantation.

A multidisciplinary medical team led by Qin Weijun, director of the hospital's Urology Department, performed the surgery on March 6 under the guidance of Academician Dou Kefeng from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Upon restoring blood flow during the surgery, the kidney turned a healthy reddish color and began producing urine. As of six days post-operation, the transplanted kidney remains functional, with the patient's serum creatinine levels returning to normal.

The surgery marks the world's fifth such procedure and Asia's first. It also marks another clinical breakthrough in xenotransplantation research by Xijing Hospital, following the world's first successful gene-edited pig-to-brain-dead recipient xenogeneic orthotopic whole liver transplantation performed on Jan 7.