A team of researchers from South Korea, China, Japan, and the United States has successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig lung into a human, observing its functionality for nine days. The study involved a brain-dead 39-year-old man who received the genetically edited pig’s lung, with the experiment conducted to assess lung function and the human immune response. Despite no immediate immune rejection, signs of damage to the transplanted lung appeared 24 hours post-transplant, leading to severe rejection by the ninth day. This groundbreaking study, which involved removing antibodies that trigger immune rejection from the pig via CRISPR gene editing, was published in the August 26th edition of the international medical journal ‘Nature Medicine.’
The researchers aimed to address the shortage of human organs for transplantation through xenotransplantation, where organs from one species are transplanted into another. Previous studies showed potential for transplanting pig kidneys, hearts, and livers to humans, but due to the complex nature of lungs, successful cases have been elusive until now. Additional research is required to optimize immunosuppressants to maintain long-term function and reduce immune rejection. Professor Jianxing He, who led the study, emphasized the potential clinical applications of such cross-species lung transplants in the future.