In a groundbreaking medical achievement, a 71-year-old man in China who underwent the world’s first pig liver transplant survived for 171 days, marking a significant milestone in xenotransplantation research.
The surgery was performed in May 2024 at Anhui Medical University Hospital, where doctors transplanted a genetically modified liver from an 11-month-old pig into a patient suffering from hepatitis B and a large liver tumor. Since a human liver transplant was not possible, surgeons removed the tumor and integrated the pig’s liver into the remaining portion of the man’s own organ.
Doctors reported that the transplanted pig liver functioned effectively for several months. However, the patient later succumbed to gastrointestinal bleeding after 171 days.
Experts say this success adds to growing evidence that pig organs — including hearts, lungs, and kidneys — could be viable for human transplantation in the future. Researchers have hailed the procedure as a major step toward solving the global shortage of human organ donors.
