First Pig Lung Transplant Into Human Worked for 9 Days

Curiosity AI

Chinese surgeons successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig lung into a brain-dead human patient. The organ functioned for 9 days, marking the first successful pig-to-human lung transplant.   This is the medical breakthrough that could change organ transplantation forever. In August 2025, doctors at Guangzhou Medical University achieved what many thought impossible - a pig lung functioning inside a human chest for 9 consecutive days.  The groundbreaking procedure used a Bama Xiang pig with 6 genetic modifications:   Three pig genes knocked out (GGTA1, CMAH, B4GALNT2)  Three human genes added (CD55, CD46, THBD)  CRISPR technology to prevent immune rejection   Key findings:   No hyperacute rejection (the immediate immune attack that normally destroys pig organs)  Lung remained functional for 216 hours (9 days)  Severe swelling at 24 hours from ischemia-reperfusion  Episodes of antibody-mediated rejection on days 3 and 6  Partial recovery by day 9   Why this matters:  Globally, 173,000 organ transplants happen annually, but demand far exceeds supply. In Europe alone, 3,926 patients await lung transplants with 216 dying each year on waiting lists. Lungs are the most challenging organs to transplant due to constant exposure to air and pathogens.  The science behind it:  This wasn't random genetic editing. The modifications specifically target known barriers:   Removing molecules human immune systems attack  Adding human regulatory proteins for blood clotting  Creating molecular compatibility between pig and human biology   What's next:  While groundbreaking, clinical trials in living patients remain 5-7 years away. Challenges include:   Optimizing genetic modifications  Reducing immunosuppression toxicity  Improving organ preservation  Long-term safety monitoring for pig viruses   This 9-day success proves the biological barriers can be overcome. Companies like eGenesis are investing hundreds of millions in xenotransplantation technology. The organ shortage crisis finally has a solution on the horizon.  The future of organ transplantation isn't waiting for human donors - it's being genetically engineered to save lives.   Read the full analysis: https://curiosityaihub.com/pig-lung-transplant-breakthrough-2025/   #XenotransplantationBreakthrough #PigLungTransplant #MedicalBreakthrough #OrganTransplant #GeneticEngineering #CRISPR #ChinaMedical #TransplantMedicine #BiomedicalInnovation #FutureOfMedicine

Transcript

00:00A 39-year-old man lay brain-dead in a Chinese hospital.

00:04What happened next shocked the medical world.

00:07Surgeons replaced his left lung with one from a genetically modified pig.

00:12For nine days, that pig lung kept working inside a human chest.

00:16This wasn't just another medical experiment.

00:19This was the moment everything changed.

00:21Here's why this matters.

00:23Every year, 173,000 organ transplants happen globally.

00:28But the need is massive.

00:30In Europe alone, nearly 4,000 people are waiting for lungs right now.

00:35216 of them will die this year just waiting.

00:39But lungs are the ultimate challenge.

00:41Unlike hearts or kidneys that work in closed systems,

00:44lungs are constantly exposed to air, bacteria, and the outside world.

00:49They have this massive surface area packed with immune cells that attack anything foreign.

00:54That's why lung transplants have the worst success rates of any organ.

00:58So when doctors talk about xenotransplantation, putting animal organs into humans, the lung

01:04represents the final boss.

01:06If you can make a pig lung work in a human, you've cracked the code that could save hundreds

01:11of thousands of lives.

01:12The team at Guangzhou Medical University didn't just grab any pig.

01:18They used a Bama-xiang pig that had been genetically engineered with six precise modifications using

01:24CRISPR technology.

01:25Three pig genes were knocked out, GGTA1, CMAH, and B4GALNT2.

01:34These genes create molecules that human immune systems immediately recognize as foreign and

01:39attack with everything they've got.

01:41Think of them as giant not-human signs painted on every cell.

01:46Then they added three human genes, CD55, CD46, and THBD.

01:53These act like molecular diplomats, telling the human immune system,

01:57hey, we're actually compatible, and helping control blood clotting and immune responses.

02:02This 6-GE combination represents years of research to create the most human-compatible pig organ

02:09ever developed.

02:11But genetic engineering was just the beginning.

02:14The patient was already brain-dead from a brain hemorrhage, with family consent for this

02:18groundbreaking research.

02:21The surgical team replaced his left lung while keeping the right human lung intact.

02:26Then came the most intensive monitoring in transplant history.

02:29Hour by hour, they tracked everything.

02:32Oxygen levels, immune responses, inflammation markers, x-rays showing lung function.

02:39The immunosuppression protocol was unlike anything used before.

02:43Eight different drugs, including some experimental treatments.

02:47Here's what happened.

02:48No hyperacute rejection.

02:50That's the immediate violent immune response that destroys pig organs within minutes in an

02:56unmodified system.

02:57For the first time in history, a pig lung was accepted by human immune defenses.

03:04But at 24 hours, complications began.

03:07Severe swelling developed, likely from ischemia reperfusion injury, the same problem that affects

03:13human lung transplants.

03:15Days 3 and 6 brought episodes of antibody-mediated rejection, where the immune system launched

03:20targeted attacks.

03:22Yet incredibly, the lung recovered each time and continued functioning until day nine, when

03:28the family requested the experiment be ended.

03:31Nine days might not sound like much, but this represents a monumental breakthrough.

03:36Previous attempts at pig-to-human lung transplants failed within hours or minutes.

03:42This proved that with the right genetic modifications and immunosuppression, pig lungs can sustain human

03:48life.

03:49But let's be clear about what this doesn't mean.

03:52This wasn't a cure.

03:54The patient was already deceased.

03:56The immunosuppression was so intense it would be toxic to a living person.

04:00And nine days is nowhere near long-term survival.

04:03The inflammation and rejection episodes show that major hurdles remain.

04:08The genetic modifications need refinement.

04:10The immunosuppression protocols need to become less toxic.

04:15And the preservation methods need improvement to prevent that early swelling.

04:19This lung transplant is part of a broader xenotransplantation revolution.

04:24Pig-to-human kidney transplants are already in early clinical trials with living patients.

04:30Heart transplants have been attempted in compassionate use cases.

04:34But lungs were always considered the final frontier because of their complexity and immune exposure.

04:39Now that barrier has been crossed.

04:42Companies like eGenesis are raising hundreds of millions to commercialize these technologies.

04:48The competition is heating up as everyone realizes we're approaching a tipping point where animal

04:53organs could become routine medical treatments.

04:57So when will pig lungs save actual patients?

05:01Experts estimate we're still five to seven years away from trials in living humans for lungs,

05:06though kidneys and hearts are moving faster.

05:09The next steps are crucial.

05:12Optimize the genetic modifications, develop less toxic immunosuppression, improve organ preservation,

05:18and establish long-term safety protocols, including monitoring for pig viruses that could

05:24theoretically jump to humans.

05:26But make no mistake.

05:28This nine-day experiment in China just proved that the biological barriers can be overcome.

05:34The organ shortage crisis that kills thousands every year finally has a solution on the horizon.

05:42A pig lung working in a human chest for nine days.

05:46It sounds like science fiction, but it's the reality that just changed medicine forever.

05:51The question isn't whether this technology will save lives.

05:55It's how quickly we can make it safe enough for the patients who are dying while they wait.

05:59The future of organ transplantation isn't human donors.

06:03It's walking around on farms right now, being genetically engineered to save human lives.

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