Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – On February 13th, the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University announced a major breakthrough: its xenotransplantation team successfully transplanted the liver and kidney from a six-gene-edited pig into a brain-dead patient. Post-surgery, the transplanted xenograft liver and kidney functioned stably for 11 days, setting a new global record for the longest survival time of a combined xenograft liver and kidney transplant, providing groundbreaking data support for addressing the clinical organ shortage problem.
This landmark surgery was performed on January 31, 2026, and was successfully completed in 10 hours. The surgery was guided throughout by Dong Jiahong, President of Beijing Tsinghua Changgeng Hospital affiliated with Tsinghua University and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and led by Zeng Zhong, President of the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, with a core team at the helm. Post-operative ultrasound examination showed good blood perfusion in the transplanted liver and kidney, laying the foundation for subsequent functional stability. The core innovation of this study lies in the use of orthotopic assistive partial liver transplantation, a technique distinct from the total liver replacement commonly used in similar studies both domestically and internationally. This technique preserves a portion of the recipient's own liver, allowing the xenogeneic and autologous livers to work synchronously and collaboratively within the body. This approach better aligns with the future clinical application of "bridging therapy"—temporarily replacing the function of a failing liver with pig liver, buying crucial time for the patient's own liver to regenerate or while awaiting a human donor liver. This choice highlights the team's forward-looking strategy, moving from "verifying technical feasibility" to "optimizing clinical applicability." During the surgery, the team first precisely removed the recipient's left hemihepatic lobes. After meticulously refining the pig donor liver, they strictly adhered to the liver's anatomical structure to complete vascular anastomosis, fully reconstructing the portal vein and hepatic artery blood flow pathways. Once blood flow was restored, golden bile rapidly flowed from the bile ducts, signifying the immediate activation of the transplanted liver's function. During the 11-day intensive observation period, the transplanted liver showed remarkable performance: bile secretion function remained stable, with an average daily bile volume exceeding 150 ml and a maximum daily volume of 200 ml, approaching normal physiological levels and setting a new global record for xenotransplantation. The kidney, transplanted concurrently using a classic heterotopic transplantation technique, immediately showed a healthy red color and smooth urine flow after blood flow was restored; urine volume gradually increased during the observation period, reaching a total of over 4000 ml, with a maximum daily volume exceeding 1800 ml, fully reaching normal physiological levels.
The donor pigs used in this transplant were from a medical pig breed independently bred by Zhongke Aoge Biotechnology Co., Ltd., meeting DPF (Specified Pathogen Free) biosafety standards. Its core technological breakthrough lies in the "six-gene editing" strategy: by precisely knocking out three porcine antigen genes and simultaneously introducing two human complement regulatory protein genes and one human coagulation regulatory protein gene, it successfully overcame the two most critical obstacles in xenotransplantation: immune rejection and coagulation disorders.
It is noteworthy that the subjects in this study already had liver dysfunction and acute renal failure before surgery, suffering a double blow to their systemic metabolic state. Under these complex conditions, the xenogeneic liver and kidney were still able to quickly initiate function and continue to work stably for 11 days, with functional levels close to normal. This provides extremely valuable practical data for future clinical applications in patients with end-stage organ failure.
Dean Zeng Zhong explained that this study strictly adhered to ethical review requirements throughout, completing comprehensive technical verification and obtaining full informed consent. The study was terminated as planned on the 11th day at the request of the subjects' families. He stated that with the continuous optimization of gene editing technology and the ongoing improvement of immunosuppression protocols, porcine organs hold the promise of bringing renewed hope to countless patients with organ failure in the future. The success of this study marks the first time globally that the liver and kidneys of gene-edited pigs have been systematically verified to function synergistically in the human body for over ten days, jointly maintaining basic metabolic needs. This not only demonstrates China's leading capabilities in xenotransplantation but also provides a valuable Chinese solution for the development of organ transplantation worldwide. (End)
