[World First] Pig Liver "Saves" Patient, China Achieves Another Major Breakthrough in Xenotransplantation Technology
Release time:
2026-02-25
Recently, Xijing Hospital of the Air Force Medical University announced that a team led by Academician Dou Kefeng, in collaboration with the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Tangdu Hospital of the Air Force Medical University, and Sichuan Zhongke Aoger Biotechnology Co., Ltd., successfully completed the world's first surgery using "gene-edited pig liver extracorporeal perfusion" to treat a patient with liver failure. According to a technological novelty search, this procedure has no precedent internationally, marking another milestone breakthrough in the field of clinical xenotransplantation in China.
66 Hours of "External Liver" Creates a Miracle of Life
The patient who underwent the procedure was a critically ill individual with acute-on-chronic liver failure. During the 66-hour treatment, the team established an extracorporeal cross-circulation system connecting the patient to a six-gene-edited pig liver via a normothermic mechanical perfusion device. This "external pig liver" operated stably outside the body, producing approximately 300-350 milliliters of bile daily, effectively undertaking the body's detoxification, synthesis, and metabolic functions, while the patient's own liver was preserved.
After treatment, key indicators such as bilirubin, transaminase, and coagulation function showed significant and sustained improvement. Once the therapeutic effect was confirmed through evaluation, the team safely removed the pig liver perfusion system. Currently, the patient's vital signs are stable, and various physiological and biochemical indicators have essentially returned to normal.
Technological Core: "Triple Breakthrough" Establishes a New Model
This surgery achieved three core innovations, constructing a new therapeutic paradigm combining "gene-edited organs + extracorporeal life support":
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"Humanized" Donor Liver: Through a multi-gene editing strategy, a highly "humanized" six-gene-edited pig liver was successfully cultivated, significantly enhancing biocompatibility and laying the foundation for safe application.
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"Bridge Therapy" Concept: The gene-edited pig liver was used as a temporary "life-support attachment," providing transitional support for patients waiting for a human liver donor or awaiting the recovery of their own liver, avoiding the significant risks of permanent xenotransplantation and the burden of long-term immunosuppression.
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Closed-Loop Perfusion Technology: Relying on a precisely regulated closed-loop perfusion system, the pig liver was continuously provided with an appropriate temperature, pressure, oxygenation, and anticoagulation environment outside the body, enabling it to maintain activity and function close to a physiological state for an extended period.
Opening a New Path for Treating End-Stage Liver Disease
Relevant statistics indicate that approximately 200,000 patients are hospitalized annually in China for acute or acute-on-chronic liver failure, yet there is a severe shortage of transplantable human livers. The success of this technology offers new clinical treatment options:
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Bridge Therapy: "Buys time" for patients awaiting liver transplantation, stabilizing vital signs and creating opportunities for surgery.
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Auxiliary Treatment: Provides transitional support for patients with potentially reversible conditions, such as drug-induced liver injury, aiding the recovery of their own liver and potentially avoiding or reducing the need for transplantation.
Future Outlook: Leading the Global Xenotransplantation Race
Xenotransplantation is widely recognized as an international challenge, with liver xenotransplantation, due to its functional complexity, hailed as the "Holy Grail" of organ transplantation. The Xijing Hospital team has previously completed several pioneering studies in pig-to-monkey models and human decedent models. This successful implementation of extracorporeal perfusion while preserving the patient's own liver represents a crucial step for this technological pathway, moving from "feasibility validation" towards "exploratory clinical treatment."
Currently, this technology remains in the exploratory clinical research phase. As research deepens and technology matures, gene-edited pig livers are expected to become standardized, scalable therapeutic products, contributing a "Chinese solution" to address the global shortage of organs.
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