Home / Health / Gene-Edited Pig Liver Saves Patient in Medical First
Gene-Edited Pig Liver Saves Patient in Medical First
6 Feb
Summary
- A patient received a gene-edited pig liver in a global first therapy.
- The pig liver assisted a patient for 66 hours, performing vital functions.
- This breakthrough offers hope for liver failure patients awaiting transplants.
A groundbreaking medical procedure has successfully utilized a gene-edited pig liver to aid a patient suffering from liver failure. The patient, treated at Xijing Hospital in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, is reported to be in stable condition approximately two days following the 66-hour treatment. This extracorporeal perfusion therapy involves connecting a patient's circulatory system to a specially prepared pig liver outside the body.
The pig liver, featuring six genetic modifications to minimize rejection, was connected to the patient's femoral vein. Throughout the 66-hour process, it performed essential liver functions like detoxification and metabolism, while the patient's own liver remained in place. Significant improvements in the patient's liver function markers were observed post-treatment.
This advancement addresses China's critical organ transplant shortage, where hundreds of millions live with liver diseases and many await transplants. The minimally invasive nature of this therapy, similar to dialysis, reduces the need for heavy immunosuppression. It can serve as a temporary life-support measure until a suitable human donor liver becomes available, leveraging China's domestic supply of gene-edited pigs and perfusion technology.
