Chinese doctors complete historic pig-to-human liver transplant with no signs of rejection

Doctors in China announced on Wednesday (March 26) that they had successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig liver into a brain-dead human for the first time. The liver functioned normally throughout the investigation, showing no signs of rejection.

A liver from a miniature pig, which had six edited genes to improve compatibility, was transplanted into a brain-dead adult whose identity was not disclosed.

Hope for future liver transplant patients

This breakthrough has raised hopes for a life-saving donor option, as the demand for liver transplants continues to exceed supply worldwide. Researchers hope that gene-edited pigs could provide a solution for patients stuck on long waiting lists.

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A team of doctors led by Kai-Shan Tao, Zhao-Xu Yang, Xuan Zhang, and Hong-Tao Zhang from the Fourth Military Medical University in China reported that the liver performed essential metabolic functions for 10 days in a brain-dead patient.

A first in pig organ transplants

While pig kidneys and hearts have been successfully transplanted into living patients in the United States in recent years, pig liver transplants had remained a challenge due to the organ’s complex functions. The liver carries out numerous critical tasks, making transplantation particularly difficult.

The study, titled “Gene-modified pig-to-human liver xenotransplantation,” was published in Nature on March 26, 2025. The authors stated, “In this study, under the strict supervision of our hospital ethics committee, we xenotransplanted the liver from a six-gene-edited pig to a brain-dead person.”

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The surgery was performed on March 10, 2024. At the request of the recipient’s family, the study was artificially terminated 10 days later (March 20, 2024). During this period, doctors closely monitored the liver’s blood flow, bile production, immune response, and other vital functions.

A promising yet challenging medical advancement

Study co-author Lin Wang of the Xi’an Hospital stated at a press conference that the pig liver “functioned really well,” “smoothly secreted bile,” and successfully produced the key protein albumin. “It’s a great achievement” that could help liver disease patients in the future, he added.

However, Lin emphasized that pig liver transplants remain challenging due to the organ’s multifaceted functions. The liver filters blood, metabolizes substances like drugs and alcohol, and produces bile to aid digestion.

He noted that the pig liver produced significantly smaller amounts of bile and albumin compared to a human liver. More research is needed to improve outcomes, and doctors are now planning to conduct trials using gene-edited pig livers in living humans.

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