WNAM REPORT: A surgical team from the hospital at the Fourth Military Medical University in Xi’an successfully performed a xenotransplantation of a kidney from a pig to a 69-year-old patient for the first time in Asia. Six days after the operation, the woman’s body did not reject the donor organ, and her blood biochemistry returned to normal.
The kidney used for the transplant came from a genetically modified pig with several edited genes. The results of the operation demonstrate the significant potential of xenotransplantation as a method to solve the problem of shortage of donor organs. The medical team continues to closely monitor the patient’s condition, paying special attention to possible immune rejection, risks of thrombosis and potential infectious complications.
The operation is of great importance in China, where about 130 million people suffer from chronic kidney disease. The number of patients with end-stage renal failure requiring emergency transplants is constantly increasing.
