On May 17, China successfully conducted the world’s first liver cross-species transplant in a cancer patient, using a 10-gene-edited pig organ, at a hospital in east China’s Anhui Province.
According to the hospital, the patient is able to walk freely seven days after the surgery and no signs of rejection have been observed. The transplanted liver functions normally, with a daily bile secretion of approximately 200 milliliters, indicating the organ’s successful integration and functionality.
“This marks a genuine xenogeneic pig liver transplant into a living person, paving the way for full liver transplants in the future,” said Sun Beicheng, the chief surgeon and the president of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University.
He told CGTN in a phone interview that the success of the transplant will give hope to patients with liver cancer in the future.