Genetically modified organs

A new study in the Journal of Hepatology reports the first successful liver xenotransplant from a genetically engineered pig into a living human; a milestone that could reshape the future of organ transplantation. The 71-year-old patient, who was not eligible for a human liver transplant, received a graft from a modified pig engineered with 10 gene edits to improve compatibility. For more than a month, the pig liver carried out essential functions such as bile production and coagulation factor synthesis. Although the graft was removed on day 38 due to a complication known as xenotransplantation-associated thrombotic microangiopathy, the patient ultimately survived 171 days, demonstrating that a pig liver can operate inside a human body for an extended period.

                            

Researchers and global health experts view this case as an important early proof of concept at a time when thousands die each year waiting for donor organs. With organ shortages especially severe in countries like China, where liver failure cases far outnumber available transplants, this experimental success offers a glimpse of what future solutions may look like. Experts emphasize both the promise and the ongoing obstacles, but agree that the case marks a turning point. As editorialist Heiner Wedemeyer noted, genetically engineered pig organs may one day provide entirely new options for patients with liver failure, signaling the beginning of a new chapter in transplant medicine.