Human Pig Liver Surgery: In a historic operation in China, a 71-year-old man lived for 38 days with a genetically modified pig liver. This is considered to be the most successful surgery till date, which is the beginning of a new era of organ transplantation.
Future Of Organ Donation: An unprecedented experiment has been recorded in the medical history of the world. A 71-year-old man in China’s Anhui province lived for 38 days after undergoing a pig liver transplant, which scientists are calling the most successful surgery ever. This patient was seriously suffering from liver cancer and hepatitis B and he had exhausted all treatment options. Doctors transplanted a genetically modified pig liver into his body. This liver continued to function normally for 38 days i.e. about 5 weeks.
However, later this organ had to be removed due to the problem of blood clotting. Despite this, the patient lived for 171 days, or about six months, after the surgery, which is one of the longest periods of time for a human being to live with a pig organ in his body.
Big achievement in medical science
Earlier, a brain-dead patient was kept alive for a maximum of 10 days with pig liver. But this is the first time that a pig’s liver continued to function for so long in a living human being. Dr. Beicheng Sun, a surgeon associated with Anhui Medical University, said that this case proves that genetically engineered pig liver can function in the human body for a long time. This is a pivotal step forward, which shows hope for further progress in this direction.
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Why is pig’s organ special?
According to scientists, pig organs closely resemble human organs in size and structure. With the help of modern gene editing technology, these organs can be changed in such a way that the immune system of the human body does not reject them.
Beginning of new era of transplant
This study has been published in the Journal of Hepatology. Journal editor Dr. Heiner Wedemeyer said that a new era of transplantation has begun. In the future, this experiment can prove to be a lifesaver for millions of people who are in the waiting list for organ transplant.
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