A medical team at Guangzhou University Hospital, China, has achieved a scientific milestone by transplanting a genetically modified pig lung into a 39-year-old brain-dead man. The organ functioned for nine days, marking a significant development in xenotransplantation, as detailed by Nature Magazine.
The patient, who suffered a brain hemorrhage following a car accident, was declared brain dead before the procedure. His family agreed to the innovative surgery, seeking to extend his survival. Despite the patient experiencing post-transplantation complications like edema and rejection episodes, doctors managed to stabilize his condition for nine days before the family chose to end the experiment.
The operation involved implanting the left lung from a genetically modified Bama mini-pig. Researchers altered six genetic traits to enhance compatibility with the human body and reduce the risk of immune rejection. Apart from being a pig’s organ, the lung transplant followed a traditional transplantation process.
This medical achievement signals a major leap in organ transplantation technology at a time when long waiting lists for organs, including hearts, lungs, and kidneys, are a global challenge.
