Chinese doctors have successfully transplanted a genetically edited pig liver into a brain-dead patient, making it the world’s first such surgery to date.

So far, the patient’s vital signs, including circulation, remain stable, and the liver function, along with other key indicators, are gradually stabilizing, signaling the success of the surgery.

Dou Kefeng, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and other doctors perform the operation at Xijing Hospital on Jan. 7, 2025 (Photo: courtesy of the official WeChat account of Xijing Hospital)

The transplant was conducted by Dou Kefeng, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and dozens of medical researchers from Xijing Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University.

The more than 10-hour surgery represents a major breakthrough in xenotransplantation and offers a new hope for liver failure patients.

The surgical plan was deliberated and approved by various academic and ethics committees, and strictly carried out in accordance with relevant international regulations.

The gene-edited pig liver was provided by a bio-tech company in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province. Previously, this type of pig had been used exclusively in pig-to-monkey liver transplants and subclinical pig-to-human kidney transplant studies, both of which confirmed its safety and efficacy.

Statistics show that China has nearly 400 million liver disease patients, including over 7 million with cirrhosis. Each year, 300,000 to 500,000 new cases of liver failure are reported. Liver transplantation remains the only definitive treatment for liver failure.