Surgeons Transplant Genetically Modified Pig Liver Into Chinese Patient 29
Scientists in China successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig liver into a brain-dead patient, where it functioned for 10 days. The liver, modified to reduce immune rejection, produced key proteins and bile, showing compatibility and offering hope for future short-term xenotransplants. The Guardian reports: The surgery, at a Chinese hospital last year, is thought to mark the first time a pig liver has been transplanted into a human. It raises the prospect of pig livers serving as a "bridging organ" for patients on the waiting list for a transplant or to support liver function while their own organ regenerates. [...] The latest procedure was carried out in a 50-year-old man diagnosed with brain death after a severe head injury. The patient's own liver was intact and, in a surgery that took more than 10 hours, the organ taken from a genetically modified Bama miniature pig was plumbed into his blood supply as an additional liver.
The pig had six genetic modifications aimed at preventing immune rejection. These included deactivating genes that contribute to the production of sugars on the surface of pig cells, which the human immune system attacks, and introducing genes that express human proteins to "humanize" the liver. After the transplant, the pig liver showed signs of functioning, including producing bile, which helps break down fats in the digestive system, and porcine albumin, a blood protein. The team behind the advance, described in the journal Nature, said it was not clear whether the liver would have been able to fully support the patient, given that he had an existing liver and because the liver was removed after 10 days at the request of his family.
The pig had six genetic modifications aimed at preventing immune rejection. These included deactivating genes that contribute to the production of sugars on the surface of pig cells, which the human immune system attacks, and introducing genes that express human proteins to "humanize" the liver. After the transplant, the pig liver showed signs of functioning, including producing bile, which helps break down fats in the digestive system, and porcine albumin, a blood protein. The team behind the advance, described in the journal Nature, said it was not clear whether the liver would have been able to fully support the patient, given that he had an existing liver and because the liver was removed after 10 days at the request of his family.
Re:Not a word saying whether his Family accepted (Score:5, Informative)
"After receiving a detailed overview of the study procedures, the recipient’s four immediate family members signed an informed consent on 8 March 2024" https://www.nature.com/article... [nature.com]
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Thanks for giving info that the linked article didn’t deem important enough to include
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"After receiving a detailed overview of the study procedures, the recipient’s four immediate family members signed an informed consent on 8 March 2024" https://www.nature.com/article... [nature.com]
Consent or not, would this ever happen outside of China? I imagine in most developed nations, the idea would be illegal or at least fail to pass ethical reviews.
Re: Not a word saying whether his Family accepted (Score:2)
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Re: meanwhile millions of poor people are dying (Score:2)
The obvious question (Score:5, Informative)
If Hannibal Lecter were to eat the liver of a person who happened to have had a pig's liver transplant, would it still be cannibalism?
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You can be convicted of murder for shooting a corpse if you believed that the person was alive when you shot them. So I think Hannibal could still be prosecuted in court, but he wouldn't gain those cannibalism superpowers.
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You can be convicted of murder for shooting a corpse if you believed that the person was alive when you shot them.
Did you mean "convicted of attempted murder" here? Typically, one element of murder (as a crime) is causing death, so one cannot murder someone who is already dead.
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It wouldn't be kosher.
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What crime (Score:4, Interesting)
Strange use of adjectives (Score:2)
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Don't forget "Surgeons transplant Chinese genetically modified pig liver", which sounds like someone is saying it's a cheap clone of a genetically modified pig liver, which would be even more impressive.
Back in my day... (Score:2)
... they transplanted a baboon's heart into a baby, leading to the following joke:
Q. What's the fastest animal in the world?
A. A chicken in Ethiopia.
Q. What's the second fastest?
A. A baboon running from a hospital.
Pancreas? (Score:1)
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A few diabetics have been helped incidentally as part of an already needed transplant. Unless already required, the risk of immune suppression for the transplant outweighs the risk from type 1 itself.