Man receives first pig lung transplant in historic medical breakthrough
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A man in China became the first recipient of a pig lung.
The genetically modified pig organ was transplanted into the 39-year-old, according to an Aug. 26 report by the journal Nature.
The procedure took place last year, performed by researchers at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangshou Medical University in China.
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Although the man was brain-dead after experiencing a cerebral hemorrhage, the lung survived for nine days.
The left lung came from a pig with six genomic edits, created by research firm Chengdu Clonorgan Biotechnology in China.
A genetically modified pig lung was transplanted for the first time into a human man last year. (iStock)
Pig organs have been successfully transplanted into humans in the past, and clinical trials for pig liver and kidney transplants in humans were green-lighted in the U.S. this year.
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In this first trial, the researchers and doctors aimed to determine how a lung would hold up against the human immune response and the possibility of “hyperacute rejection.”
In the Nature journal article, the researchers reported the success of this recent transplant, noting no signs of rejection or infection within the 216-hour monitoring period.
Although the man was brain-dead after experiencing a cerebral hemorrhage, the lung survived for nine days. (iStock)
In the first 24 hours, the team observed lung swelling and tissue damage during the procedure.
On days three and six, the team noticed damage caused by antibodies attacking the organ, but this was reduced by day nine.
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The study was then ended at the request of the patient’s family on the ninth day, the report stated.
“Although this study demonstrates the feasibility of pig-to-human lung xenotransplantation, substantial challenges relating to organ rejection and infection remain,” the researchers concluded.
“Further preclinical studies are necessary before clinical translation of this procedure.”
The doctors said further research is needed before clinical translation can occur. (iStock)
Muhammad Mohiuddin, a surgeon and researcher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, who led the first pig–heart transplant into a living person in 2022, told Nature that lungs are the “most difficult organ to transplant,” as they’re more prone to being attacked by the immune system.
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Mohiuddin applauded the researchers’ effort and called it a “first step” toward lung xenotransplantation, or the use of organs from other species into humans.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.