HEFEI \u2014 Chinese researchers have successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig liver into a human patient with severe liver cancer, they announced on Friday, marking a breakthrough in xenotransplantation involving humans.<\/p>\n
The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University in Hefei, the capital of Anhui province, said the operation was conducted on May 17 by a team led by Professor Sun Beicheng from the hospital, in collaboration with a team led by Professor Wei Hong jiang from Yunnan Agricultural University.<\/p>\n
Sun said that the 71-year-old patient\u2019s body did not reject the organ within the first seven days following the operation, nor did he experience any disorder to his coagulation system.<\/p>\n
The operation was the first clinically assisted pig-to-human xenogenic liver transplant and the fifth xenogeneic organ transplant in the world, he said.<\/p>\n
The patient is able to move around freely, and his liver function and many other health indicators have returned to normal, Sun said.<\/p>\n
Last month, Chinese researchers successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig liver into a brain-dead patient at Xijing Hospital at Air Force Medical University in Xi\u2019an, capital of Shaanxi province.<\/p>\n