Maroc - THECEKODOK.COM - A La Une - 13/Oct 09:39

Pig Liver Successfully Transplanted into Living Human Body

According to data shared by the National Transplant Resource Center (NTRC), as of the end of 2024, there are 10,297 individuals on the list to receive donated organs. The issue of organ donor shortage in Malaysia has caused this list to grow longer every year. Among the solutions being pursued by the medical world is the use of pig organs as a substitute for human organs.In China, for the first time, a pig liver has been successfully transplanted into a living human recipient. A 71-year-old man with hepatitis B-related cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma became the first recipient. He was ineligible to receive a human organ due to high risk. The procedure was performed at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University.The liver of a Diannan dwarf pig that received 10 gene edits was grafted onto the recipient's liver. Initially, the graft was functional with the ability to produce bile without showing any rejection. However, on day 38, the pig liver was removed again due to the development of thrombotic microangiopathy (xTMA) related to the xenotransplant procedure.The patient was given xTMA treatment but he later developed recurrent upper gastrointestinal bleeding and died on day 171 after receiving the pig liver. This experiment confirmed that genetically modified pig livers can be transplanted into humans, but not permanently. More studies need to be done before they can truly be a human replacement organ in the future.Previously, in China, a pig liver was transplanted into a brain-dead individual. It functioned for 10 days before the family requested the experiment to be terminated. Meanwhile, this year, a pig kidney survived for 130 days before being removed from Towana Looney in the United States due to complications.The study was published in the Journal of Hepatology.