A genetically modified pig lung has functioned in a human recipient for nine days in a major world first.
Research published in Nature Medicine may represent the first documented instance of cross-species lung transplants, the authors said.
In previous, similar studies, organs such as kidneys, livers, and hearts from gene-edited pigs have been feasibly transplanted into humans.
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However, lung transplantation brought new challenges due to the complexity of the organ.
The research team, from China’s National Clinical Research Centre for Respiratory Disease, transplanted the left lung of a gene-edited pig into a 39-year-old human recipient.
The recipient had previously been declared brain dead in four clinical assessments.
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The pig had undergone gene editing to remove the antigens that could otherwise activate the human immune system and prompt a rejection.
The study authors found the lung was accepted, and maintained “viability and functionality” for nine days.
However, the researchers did observe signs of lung damage at 24 hours after the transplant, and signs of antibody-mediated rejection of the organ on day three and day six.
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They terminated the experiment on day nine.
“The findings represent a first step for pig-to-human lung transplantation,” the authors said in a release.
“However, improvements are needed to optimise both the genetic modifications made in the donor pig and the immunosuppressive drugs needed to avoid immune-mediated rejection of the lung and to maintain long-term function.”
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