For the first time in history, Chinese scientists transplanted a genetically modified pig lung into a human. This is a revolutionary achievement in the field of xenotransplantation (the transfer of an animal organ to a human).
As described in the study published in the scientific journal Nature, the procedure was performed in May 2023 at the hospital of Guangzhou Medical University on a 39-year-old patient who was brain dead.
However, the patient who received the pig lung did not survive for long. Although there were no signs of organ rejection or infection during the first three days post-surgery, lung swelling and tissue damage were observed within 24 hours of the transplant, likely caused by impaired oxygen supply. Additionally, organ damage from antibodies was noted on the third and sixth days, though by the ninth day, when the experiment was stopped at the family’s request, the lung damage had decreased.
According to Muhammad Mohiuddin, a surgeon and researcher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, who led the first pig heart transplant in 2022, the lung is the most difficult organ to transplant. Mohiuddin states that the lung has the most blood vessels compared to other organs, making it more prone to an attack by the immune system, which can cause blood clotting and tissue damage.
The pig lung used in the study was genetically modified using CRISPR technology. The researchers left the patient’s right lung intact, meaning the main goal of the trial was to study the immune response, not to prove the possibility of saving the life of the patient participating in the experiment.
Experts view this development with caution but also optimism. Luhan Yang, co-founder of the US-based xenotransplantation company eGenesis, called the study a significant achievement that will contribute greatly to the study of immune reactions in lung xenotransplantation.
Clinical use is still a long way off, but this achievement raises hope that genetically modified pig organs may one day help solve the problem of the global shortage of human donor organs.
