The world’s first case of “genetic editing pig – allotransplantation of the entire liver in situ for patients with brain death” has been successful
On January 9th, The Paper reported from the West China Hospital of the Air Force Military Medical University that on January 7th, the hospital successfully performed the first international gene-edited pig-to-human xenogenic whole liver transplantation in a brain-dead patient. Led by academician Dou Kefeng from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a team of experts from more than ten departments in the hospital, including hepatobiliary surgery, successfully transplanted a gene-edited pig liver into a brain-dead patient, marking the first time that a gene-edited pig liver has fully replaced a human liver in an international context. This is another important breakthrough in the field of xenogenic liver transplantation by West China Hospital, following the first international gene-edited pig-to-human auxiliary liver transplantation in a brain-dead patient last year.
In this clinical study, the patient who underwent the transplantation suffered from cerebral infarction leading to brain death, and their family members signed a consent form for the procedure after it was approved by the academic committee, medical ethics committee, organ transplantation committee, and animal committee, in accordance with international requirements for xenotransplantation.
The surgery involved multiple stages, including the removal of the donor猪肝（猪肝）, the removal of the patient’s original liver, new liver implantation, reconstruction of arteries and veins, hemostasis, and abdominal closure. The surgery lasted for more than ten hours and successfully implanted an 800-gram gene-edited pig liver provided by Chengdu OgOtech Company in a原位（in-situ）replacement manner into the brain-dead patient who had been fully rescued and evaluated multiple times by the hospital. After opening the blood flow to the transplanted猪肝（猪肝）, the liver perfusion was good, and bile was immediately produced. As of now, the patient’s basic vital signs are stable, and various indicators such as liver function are gradually stabilizing, indicating the success of the surgery.
The surgery was led by Dou Kefeng and Professor Tao Kaishan from the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery at West China Hospital, with the collaboration of experts such as Associate Professor Yang Zhaoxu, Professor Wang Lin, Professor Yang Yanling, Associate Professor Zhou Jingshi, and Associate Professor Song Wenjie. Meanwhile, more than ten departments including anesthesia department, surgical operating room, experimental surgery department, ultrasound department, nephrology department, intensive care unit, breast and thyroid vascular surgery department, cardiovascular surgery department, pharmacy department, laboratory department, blood transfusion department, radiology department, and pathology department worked together to escort the surgery.
According to academician Dou Kefeng, this surgery is the first attempt to remove the recipient’s own liver and replace it with a猪肝（猪肝）to observe changes in liver function and the patient’s vital signs. It is the first time such a procedure has been conducted in the world. The results indicate that gene-edited pig livers have the potential to replace human livers in the early stages after transplantation. The successful conduct of this research is another breakthrough in the field of xenogenic organ transplantation and a crucial step forward for its clinical application. This study provides important theoretical evidence and technical support for future clinical applications.
China has approximately 400 million patients with liver disease and more than 7 million patients with cirrhosis. Additionally, around 300,000 to 500,000 patients with liver failure are newly diagnosed each year. For patients with liver failure, liver transplantation is the only effective radical treatment option. However, many people lose their lives because they cannot find a suitable human liver for transplantation. Xenogenic liver transplantation is not limited by the availability of human organs and can benefit more patients with end-stage liver disease. It has the potential to replace allogenic liver transplantation in the future.
The West China Hospital’s xenotransplantation team has been conducting research on gene-edited pig-to-monkey xenogenic liver transplantation since 2013. After more than ten years of research, they have completed various types of xenogenic organ transplantation such as liver, kidney, and heart, as well as xenogenic tissue transplantation such as skin, nerves, and corneas. In 2024, they successfully performed the first international gene-edited pig-to-human xenogenic liver transplantation in a brain-dead recipient.
At the same time, since the United States first conducted gene-edited pig-to-human kidney transplantation in brain-dead patients in 2021, a total of 21 cases of xenogenic organ transplantation have been completed worldwide. On November 25th, 2024, New York University completed the third case of gene-edited pig-to-human kidney transplantation. The patient was successfully discharged 11 days after the surgery and no longer needed dialysis. They have been living a healthy life for over a month now.
The liver is the body’s metabolic hub responsible for numerous physiological and biochemical functions such as coagulation
