The first pig-to-human lung xenotransplant was performed in China at Guangzhou University Hospital. This technique, designed to address the organ shortage, has already been performed on hearts and kidneys. In this unprecedented experiment, no major incidents were observed during the nine days following the transplant.
Similar in size to human organs and easy to genetically modify, pig organs are favored for xenografts, animal-to-human transplants. For the first time, a genetically modified pig lung has been transplanted into a 39-year-old brain-dead recipient in China. Such a recipient was chosen for the operation because the primary goal of the transplant was to determine whether pig-to-human lung xenografts could be an interesting avenue. More specifically, the team explains that they wanted to know if hyperacute rejection—rejection that occurs directly after surgery—could be avoided. It was also an opportunity to understand how the human immune system responded to lungs from a genetically modified pig. This is a crucial first step before considering pig lung xenografts into conventional recipients, with the aim of allowing them to continue their lives.
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