The first in the world transplant liver, from pig In a man living in China and the patient survived for 171 days, according to a publication in the journal Journal of Hepatology by Elsevier.
It was an auxiliary xenophobia of genetically modified pig-man-deceit, made by a group of doctors in a Chinese hospital.
The patient survived for 171 days and this is, according to the authors, proof that the genetically modified liver of pigs It can support basic metabolic and synthetic functions of the human body. At the same time, of course, the case has highlighted the serious complications that continue to limit the long -term effects of such transplants.
The transplant was performed on a 71 -year -old man with liver cirrhosis due to hepatitis B and with hepatocellular carcinoma. The patient did not meet the criteria for surgical removal or transplantation of human liver.
Doctors implanted an auxiliary graft from a genetically modified Diannan pig (typical species of China), which had made ten gene modifications, including human genes, with the aim of enhancing immune compatibility.
The transplant worked effectively in the first month after surgery, producing bile and composing coagulation factors, with no signs of exhaustion or acute rejection. However on the 38th day, presented thrombotic microangiopathya severe complication associated with xenophobia. The graft was removed and the complication was successfully treated with pharmaceutical and plasmapheresis.
Despite the temporary stabilization, the patient had repeated episodes of bleeding from the upper digestive tract and eventually ended up on the 171st day.
Thousands of patients die pending organ transplantation
According to the World Health Organization, thousands of patients die every year Awaiting organ transplantationbecause of the limited availability. In China alone, hundreds of thousands of patients show hepatic insufficiency each year, but just about 6,000 received a liver transplant in 2022. This pioneering case opens new ways to fill the huge gap between demand and instrument.
“This study is a milestone in hepatology,” notes in an accompanying article Heiner Ventemierco -author of «Journal of Hepatology» and a professor in the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases and Endocrinology of the Medical School of Hanover.
As he explains, “it shows that a genetically modified pig liver can be transplanted and perform basic liver functions in one human. At the same time, it highlights the biological and moral challenges that exist before applying such approaches to broader clinical use. Xenophobia can open completely new paths for patients with acute hepatic impairment, acute exacerbation of chronic hepatic insufficiency and hepatocellular carcinoma. A new era for transplants in hepatology has just begun. “