Surgeons at the University of Pennsylvania have successfully used a genetically modified pig liver to filter blood outside a brain-dead human body, marking a potential breakthrough for patients with liver failure. The experiment, announced on Thursday, involved attaching the pig liver to a device that performed the organ's blood-cleansing function externally, similar to dialysis for kidney patients.
This approach differs from traditional animal-to-human transplants, known as xenotransplants, which have historically failed due to immune rejection. The pig liver used in the trial was genetically modified by eGenesis to be more compatible with humans, and was connected to an OrganOx device typically used to preserve donated human livers.
The experiment, conducted last month, filtered the donor's blood through the pig liver for 72 hours. The Penn team reported that the donor's body remained stable and the pig liver showed no signs of damage. The donor's family consented to the research after their loved one's organs were deemed unsuitable for transplantation.
Dr Parsia Vagefi of UT Southwestern Medical Center, who was not involved in the study, praised the effort as an intriguing step forward. He noted that while previous attempts at using pig livers externally were made, today's advanced genetic techniques offer new possibilities. The US Food and Drug Administration is considering allowing trials of pig hearts or kidneys in humans, and this research adds to the growing field of xenotransplantation.
