A brain dead patient in China received a pig liver and a pig kidney at the same time, marking the first known combined transplant of its kind anywhere in the world. The organs came from a genetically modified miniature pig and functioned inside the human body for ten days before the experiment ended.
A 10 day experiment inside a human body
The surgery took place at Xijing Hospital in Xi an, a city in northwestern China. The patient was a brain dead man whose family agreed to donate his body for the research. Surgeons transplanted both a liver and a kidney from a pig that had been gene edited to reduce the risk of rejection. The organs were monitored closely after the operation. They produced bile and urine, two key signs that the transplant was working. The team ended the experiment after 10 days at the request of the patient's family.
Why this matters for the organ shortage crisis
China has one of the worlds largest gaps between the number of people waiting for organ transplants and the number of available human organs. Thousands of patients die each year while on waiting lists. Scientists have been exploring the use of animal organs, a field known as xenotransplantation, as a possible solution. Pigs are often used because their organ sizes and functions are similar to those of humans. Previous experiments in China and other countries have transplanted pig kidneys or hearts into humans, but no team had attempted a combined liver and kidney transplant until now.
Local reaction and what comes next
The hospital said the results were encouraging and that the organs showed no signs of acute rejection during the observation period. The research team plans to continue studying how pig organs behave inside the human body. For local doctors and patients, the experiment offers a glimpse of a future where animal organs could help fill the gap left by the shortage of human donors. The family of the brain dead patient made the experiment possible by giving consent, a decision that hospital officials described as generous.
This single case does not prove that the procedure is safe or effective for living patients. But it does show that a genetically modified pig liver and kidney can work together inside a human body for more than a week. That is a step no medical team had taken before.
