Medicine Pig liver transplanted into brain-dead humans for the first time
Chinese doctors have transplanted a pig's liver into a brain-dead human for the first time in the world. The organ had already produced bile, among other things, shortly after the procedure, the team wrote in its final report on the transplantation in the scientific journal "Nature".
27.03.2025, 04:39
SDA
The liver functioned until the end of the experiment ten days later. The genetic material of the donor pig had been altered in six places in order to avoid rejection reactions. The experiment with the liver was ended after ten days in accordance with the wishes of the brain-dead patient's family, as the Chinese news agency Xinhua wrote shortly after the transplant in 2024.
"It is a world premiere and a big step for transplant medicine," commented surgeon Bruno Reichart, who researches xenotransplantation at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) in Munich and was not involved in the procedure.
Pig hearts and kidneys have already been transplanted into humans in experiments. However, there are still a few hurdles to overcome before they can be used on a regular basis.
