A team of doctors in China successfully implanted a pig’s lung into a human for the first time. They connected a gene-edited pig lung to a man who had been pronounced brain dead. The implanted lung functioned for 9 days and transported oxygen into the blood till the immune system destroyed it.
The transplantation was part of xenotransplantation, a process in which the use of animal organs took place to help people who required transplants. This method plays a significant role for humankind, as several patients die waiting for an organ if their lungs fail.
Researchers documented the case in a peer-reviewed paper, tracking the transplanted pig lung for 216 hours, or nine days. The development allowed doctors to observe how the human immune system responds to a pig organ over an extended period, according to a report in Earth.com.
The operation and analysis were directed by the lead surgeon, Jianxing He of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, whose group works in lung surgery and transplant research in Guangzhou, China. According to a report in OPTN, the United States performed 3,340 lung transplants in 2024. Despite the increase, the demand remains high, and waiting lists are long.
How a pig’s lung was implanted into a man
In this experimental surgery, doctors removed the left lung of a genetically modified Bama Xiang pig, a small native Chinese breed commonly used in xenotransplantation because its organs closely match human sizes. Then they attached the pig’s organ to a 39-year-old brain-dead man after the lung was edited multiple times with the help of CRISPR technology, a tool that changes DNA in precise ways.
Scientists modified the pig lung by deleting three genes that typically trigger strong immune reactions and inserting three human genes that regulate blood clotting and the complement system. The lung was surgically attached to the patient’s airway and blood vessels using standard transplant methods, while the other natural lung was left intact to maintain stability and allow safe data collection.
Once blood flow resumed, the lung began exchanging gases and readings from its vein confirmed normal oxygen levels, indicating that the organ was functioning at a basic level. The most serious issue emerged within the first 24 hours—fluid build-up in the tissue, resembling primary graft dysfunction, a complication often seen after lung transplants.
By the third and sixth days, tests revealed antibody activity and complement system attacks that were damaging the tissue. Although some improvements were noted by day nine, the researchers chose to end the experiment and remove the lung for further study.
How will the implantation help patients?
Recent developments with pig kidney transplants in humans have shown remarkable results. One patient has successfully lived for more than six months with a transplanted pig kidney.
However, lungs pose a greater risk due to different biological complexities, so kidney progress does not transfer directly. Still, the kidney breakthrough shows that carefully designed genetic modifications and tailored drug therapies can extend the acceptance of animal organs.
If researchers succeed in identifying the right balance of gene edits and medicines for lung transplants, it could be transformative. Patients suffering from conditions such as cystic fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, or severe emphysema could get options that are currently unavailable.(Via WION)
