Surgeons attached a pig liver to the outside of a brain-dead human body in December as part of an experiment at the University of Pennsylvania.
The pig’s liver successfully filtered blood for 72 hours after it was externally affixed to the human body, which was donated to science, the university announced Thursday in a statement.
Surgeons at the University of Pennsylvania announced today that they successfully attached a genetically altered pig liver to a brain-dead person and found that the organ functioned normally for 72 hours. We love science. https://t.co/fky58hVk5n
— WIRED (@WIRED) January 18, 2024
The pig’s liver was genetically modified by eGenesis to better resemble a human organ, according to the statement. The animal’s organ supported the human body’s faulty liver by cleansing its blood while hooked up to a device made by OrganOx, which was designed to preserve donated human livers.
The experiment marks progress in the development of liver failure treatments using xenotransplantation, or animal-to-human organ transplants, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Xenotransplantations have been unsuccessful for decades because human immune systems have rejected foreign tissue from animals, such as pigs.
“This milestone event moves us closer to a future where we can offer effective treatments for acute liver decompensation,” said Peter Friend, the chief medical officer of OrganOx. “Our system combined with a genetically modified liver combines modern organ perfusion technology with the functions of a whole liver, which is a potentially powerful combination that could save lives.”
The pig’s liver acted as a “bridge” while performing its work, which resembled dialysis for failing kidneys, the announcement stated. Scientists have also genetically modified and temporarily transplanted pig kidneys into donors to study how well the foreign organ functions.
The human body’s blood circulated with the help of machines during the experiment, during which the donor’s body was stable and showed no signs of damage, the Penn team confirmed in the statement. (RELATED: Scientists Create Zombie Pigs In Attempt To Revive Dead Patient)
The human body used in the university’s experiment was donated by the deceased person’s family. The body’s organs were not eligible to be donated, the statement noted.
In September, surgeons in Baltimore successfully conducted a heart transplant using a pig’s heart to replace a living man’s damaged human heart, though the patient died nearly six weeks after the surgery.