World’s first pig-to-human liver transplant offers new hope to thousands on organ waiting lists
In this region, which is a ‘turning point’ for organ transplantation between animals and humans, for the first time, the liver of a pig was transplanted to a human while it was alive.
Earlier this year, scientists transplanted a genetically modified patient into a clinically dead patient to reduce the risk of rejection.
Now, in a major step forward, Chinese scientists have transplanted a genetically modified pig liver into a 71-year-old man while he was alive.
The patient, who had liver cancer and advanced liver disease, was not suitable for liver transplantation or removal of a part of the organ for the treatment of the disease.
It showed promising results in the first month after surgery, with no rejection and functioning effectively.
But on day 38, it had to be removed following a serious complication that included an immune system reaction that destroyed the lining of the blood vessels.
Initially, they were able to treat it with medication and a procedure that would remove harmful factors from the blood.
However, unfortunately, the patient continued to have gastrointestinal bleeding (bleeding in the digestive tract) and died on the 171st day.
In a milestone in animal-to-human organ transplantation, a pig’s liver was transplanted into a human while he was still alive.
Dr Beicheng Sun is one of them study The authors, from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University in China, said: ‘This case proves that a genetically modified pig liver can function in a human for a long period of time.
‘This is a very important step forward, showing the promise and remaining hurdles to be overcome, particularly in relation to coagulation dysregulation and immune complications.’
In this case, the liver, which had been genetically modified 10 times to prevent rejection, came from a genetically modified Diannan miniature pig.
Transplanting organs from animals to humans is an emerging field known as xenotransplantation.
Experts hope this could pave the way for animal transplants to one day become an option for people on organ waiting lists.
Latest figures show 8,096 Britons, including 276 children, are on waiting lists for organ transplants.
There are more than 600 people on the waiting list for a liver transplant in the UK, with the average waiting time being three to four months.
There are various reasons why people need a transplant; These include liver cancer and cirrhosis caused by end-stage liver disease, from which the 71-year-old patient suffers.
Dr. is a professor at Hannover Medical School and co-editor of the Journal of Hepatology, where the findings were published. Heiner Wedemeyer said that ‘this report is a turning point in hepatology, the branch of medicine related to the liver’.
He continued: ‘This demonstrates that a genetically modified pig liver can engraft and deliver important liver functions to a human recipient.
‘It also highlights the biological and ethical challenges that remain before such approaches can be translated into wider clinical use.
‘Xenotransplantation could open entirely new avenues for patients with acute liver failure, acute-chronic liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma.
‘A new era has begun in transplant hepatology.’
Director of the National Organ Transplant Organization in Spain, Dr. Beatriz Domínguez-Gil added: ‘This is a new step in the advancement of xenotransplant therapy, which continues to advance in clinical development.
‘But it also highlights the significant hurdles that need to be overcome, such as the serious complication observed in this patient.
‘As the Spanish National Organization for Transplantation (ONT), we insist that these transplants are experimental.
‘More work is needed to perfect the genetic changes made, improve the immunosuppression used and try to detect and address complications that may develop early.
He continued: ‘Ideally this should be done in appropriately designed clinical trials to assess its effectiveness and safety in the short, medium and long term.
‘But these cases allow us to glimpse a future where xenotransplantation is a clinical reality, particularly as a bridge therapy or target therapy in the case of the liver.’
