Chinese Doctors Use Gene-Edited Pig Liver in External Circulation System to Save Patient with Acute Liver Failure

Xi’an, — Doctors in China have successfully used a genetically modified pig liver to support life-saving treatment for a patient with chronic liver disease who developed acute liver failure, according to Xijing Hospital of the Air Force Medical University in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province.

 

The research team employed an external circulation support system using a gene-edited pig liver connected to a normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) device. This setup created an extracorporeal circulation system that temporarily supported the patient’s liver function while helping stabilize the patient’s condition.

 

During the treatment, the pig liver temporarily performed key liver functions, including detoxification, synthesis, and metabolism, while the patient’s own liver remained inside the body. The approach led to significant improvements in several clinical indicators, including bilirubin levels, transaminase enzymes, and prothrombin function.

 

Doctors reported that the patient’s condition has since stabilized, with physiological and biochemical indicators gradually returning toward normal levels.

 

China records around 200,000 hospitalizations for liver failure each year, and the risk of death while waiting for a donor liver remains high due to the severe shortage of transplantable organs.

 

According to the medical team from the hospital’s Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, the treatment combines gene-edited organs with extracorporeal circulation technology to provide temporary life support while reducing the need for heavy immunosuppressive therapy.

 

The approach not only buys critical time for patients waiting for liver transplantation but may also expand treatment options for patients with end-stage liver disease. Researchers believe the study offers important insights into the future use of pig livers to support or potentially replace human liver function.

 

 

Source : Xinhua Thai News