Podcast Episode
The sixty-six-hour extracorporeal perfusion procedure concluded on Tuesday morning, during which the pig liver handled detoxification, synthesis, and metabolism while the patient's own damaged liver remained in place. Unlike a traditional organ transplant, this minimally invasive technique is more comparable to kidney dialysis, dramatically reducing the need for heavy immunosuppressive drugs.
The procedure was led by Dou Kefeng, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with the gene-edited pig supplied by ClonOrgan Biotechnology, China's leading xenotransplantation enterprise. The same hospital previously made headlines in January 2025 when it performed the world's first complete pig-to-human liver transplant in a brain-dead patient.
Researchers say this approach could buy crucial time for patients awaiting a human donor liver, and may ultimately expand treatment options for those with end-stage liver disease. The success has been hailed as a landmark advancement in clinical xenotransplantation research.
China Achieves World First With Gene-Edited Pig Liver Therapy
February 7, 2026
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Doctors at Xijing Hospital in Xi'an have successfully used a gene-edited pig liver to treat a patient with acute liver failure in what researchers describe as a global first. The pig liver performed detoxification and metabolic functions outside the body for sixty-six hours while the patient's own liver remained in place, offering a potential new lifeline for hundreds of thousands of patients with end-stage liver disease.
Gene-Edited Pig Liver Saves Patient in World-First Therapy
Doctors at Xijing Hospital in Xi'an, China, have announced a landmark medical achievement: a patient with acute liver failure is now stable after undergoing a novel treatment that used a gene-edited pig liver to perform essential bodily functions outside the body.The sixty-six-hour extracorporeal perfusion procedure concluded on Tuesday morning, during which the pig liver handled detoxification, synthesis, and metabolism while the patient's own damaged liver remained in place. Unlike a traditional organ transplant, this minimally invasive technique is more comparable to kidney dialysis, dramatically reducing the need for heavy immunosuppressive drugs.
How the Technology Works
The medical team used a liver from a pig with six genetic modifications specifically designed to reduce the risk of organ rejection. The organ was placed inside a specialised normothermic machine perfusion device and connected to the patient's femoral vein, establishing a temporary cross-circulation system.The procedure was led by Dou Kefeng, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with the gene-edited pig supplied by ClonOrgan Biotechnology, China's leading xenotransplantation enterprise. The same hospital previously made headlines in January 2025 when it performed the world's first complete pig-to-human liver transplant in a brain-dead patient.
Addressing a Critical Shortage
The therapy targets a massive supply-demand imbalance in organ transplantation. More than four hundred million people in China live with liver diseases, and approximately two hundred thousand patients are hospitalised annually for acute or acute-on-chronic liver failure. According to a 2024 report, roughly one hundred and eighty-one thousand patients were on transplant waiting lists, with a supply-to-demand ratio of just one to seven.Researchers say this approach could buy crucial time for patients awaiting a human donor liver, and may ultimately expand treatment options for those with end-stage liver disease. The success has been hailed as a landmark advancement in clinical xenotransplantation research.
Published February 7, 2026 at 6:52am
