Patient receives a genetically altered pig lung

Chinese scientists have transplanted a gene-edited pig lung into a brain-dead patient, marking the world's first successful case of its kind in what international experts called a milestone.

The operation was carried out by a team led by He Jianxing, a director at the National Center for Respiratory Medicine and president of the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health. The surgery simulated a standard single-lung transplant, and the results were published on Monday in the British journal Nature Medicine.

He said the achievement is expected to help ease the global shortage of lung transplant donors.

The donor lung came from a genetically modified Bama miniature pig in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. The organ had undergone six genetic edits to reduce the risk of rejection, according to He.

After the surgery, monitoring data — including respiration, blood tests and imaging — showed the transplanted lung maintained ventilation and gas exchange functions for up to nine days, he said. The study ended on the ninth day at the request of the patient's family.

"During this period, no hyperacute rejection reactions occurred, and no signs of active infection were detected through synchronous pathogen monitoring," He said.

The recipient was a 39-year-old man who had sustained a severe traumatic brain injury.

The patient's brain death was confirmed by multiple independent evaluations. His family voluntarily agreed to the procedure, which complied with Chinese laws, regulations and ethical guidelines, according to the research team.

Against the backdrop of an aging global population and the growing demand for organ transplants, xenotransplantation — using animal organs in humans — is considered a promising solution to the donor shortage, He said.

He added that the achievement marks a crucial step forward in the field of xenotransplantation. His team will further optimize gene editing strategies and anti-rejection treatments to prolong the survival and function of transplanted organs.

"Meanwhile, we will also apply the tube-free technologies independently developed by our team to xenogeneic lung transplantation to reduce the damage caused by mechanical ventilation and promote the translation of xenotransplantation into clinical applications," He said.

The transplantation of animal organs into humans is at the forefront of global medical research, and He's results have drawn widespread attention and praise from international experts.

Beatriz Dominguez-Gil, director of the Spanish National Transplant Organization, noted that previous xenotransplantation trials were limited to kidneys, hearts and livers. Lungs face greater challenges because of their delicate physiological balance, large blood flow and continuous exposure to outside air, which makes them particularly vulnerable to damage, she said. The achievement of the Chinese team represents a milestone in the field, she added.

In recent years, xenotransplantation has advanced worldwide. Since 2022, researchers have reported pig-to-human heart, kidney and liver transplants, though survival times have varied.