In a pioneering medical experiment, surgeons successfully performed a genetically modified pig lung transplant to a brain-dead patient for the first time, with the lung functioning for nine days. According to The Guardian, this represents the latest advancement in xenotransplantation technology aimed at addressing the global organ shortage crisis. Researchers in China transplanted the left lung from a genetically modified Chinese Bama Xiang pig, containing six gene edits, into a 39-year-old brain-dead patient. The lung remained alive and functional for 216 hours without causing hyperacute rejection or infection. However, after 24 hours, signs of fluid accumulation and damage appeared, likely due to transplant-associated inflammation. Despite strong immunosuppressive drugs, the organ suffered progressive antibody-mediated damage over time. Experts note that brain death itself triggers acute inflammation, complicating results. Researchers emphasize the need to improve immunosuppressive therapies, genetic modifications, lung preservation strategies, and long-term graft function evaluation.

Other approaches to increase organ availability, such as donor organ remodeling with stem cells and human organ growth inside pigs or sheep, are also under study. While some living recipients have undergone pig kidney transplants, many died within weeks or months, though not necessarily due to transplant complications. Pig lung transplantation remains particularly challenging.