Pig Liver Saves Man's Life Until Human Transplant Ready

A groundbreaking surgery in China just opened a new door for thousands of people waiting for life-saving organ transplants.

In January, surgeons at Xijing Hospital in Xi'an connected a 56-year-old man with severe liver failure to a genetically modified pig liver outside his body. The pig organ filtered his blood and removed dangerous toxins for several days while he waited for a human donor liver to become available.

The procedure worked. The man has since received a human liver transplant and is recovering well, according to surgeon Lin Wang, who led the team.

This marks the first time anyone has used an external pig liver to keep a living person alive. While doctors have performed similar procedures on clinically dead patients and have used unmodified pig livers since the 1990s, this represents a major step forward in making the technology safe and accessible.

The pig liver contained six genetic modifications designed to make it compatible with human bodies and reduce rejection risk. Three pig genes were deactivated, and three human genes were added to produce proteins that help the body accept the organ.

Surgeons attached tubes to a vein in the man's leg, redirecting his blood through the external pig liver. The organ successfully performed the liver's crucial job of removing waste products that had built up from his liver failure.

The Ripple Effect

More than 100,000 Americans are currently waiting for organ transplants, and many die before a match becomes available. This bridging technology could keep critically ill patients alive long enough to receive a human organ, or even give their own organs time to recover.

Wayne Hawthorne, a transplant researcher at the University of Sydney, called the achievement "remarkable." Muhammad Mohiuddin, who led the first pig heart transplant into a living person in 2022, agrees the technology could be lifesaving for patients too sick to wait without intervention.

At least a dozen people in the United States and China have now received pig organs, including hearts, kidneys, livers, and a thymus. Clinical trials are currently underway in both countries to further test the safety and effectiveness of these procedures.

The patient in China had chronic hepatitis B and alcohol-related liver damage that caused his liver to suddenly fail. After a month hospitalized in Shanghai with no donor organ available, he and his family consented to try the experimental pig liver therapy.

Researchers are eager to see detailed results published in peer-reviewed journals, including immune suppression levels, liver function tests, and how long patients can safely remain connected to external pig organs.

For now, one man's successful recovery offers hope that fewer people will die waiting for the organs they desperately need.