Illustration of the treatment of a liver failure patient using ex vivo perfusion with a six-gene-edited pig liver Photo: Screenshot from the WeChat account of Xijing Hospital

Chinese researchers have achieved the world’s first successful treatment of a liver failure patient using ex vivo perfusion with a six-gene-edited pig liver, preliminarily confirming the safety and efficacy of the technique and providing a new strategy for the clinical treatment of end-stage liver disease, including as a bridging therapy before liver transplantation, China Science Daily reported on Wednesday. 

The treatment was jointly conducted by a medical team led by Dou Kefeng, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the director of the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery at Xijing Hospital, together with Tangdu Hospital, both affiliated with the Air Force Medical University of PLA. More than 20 departments of the university participated in the cross-disciplinary effort that led to the breakthrough, according to China Science Daily. 

The team obtained a liver from a six-gene-edited pig, connected it to a normothermic mechanical perfusion device, and formed a cross-circulation system consisting of a xenogeneic pig liver and an extracorporeal human liver, according to the report.

While the system was connected to a patient with acute-on-chronic liver failure, the pig liver temporarily assumed key detoxification, synthetic and metabolic functions, while the patient’s own liver remained in place. Unlike conventional transplants, the procedure uses an extracorporeal life-support approach, the report said. 

According to the daily, during the treatment, the pig liver showed good perfusion and bile secretion, and the perfusion device operated normally. After 66 hours of continuous treatment, key liver function indicators – including bilirubin levels, transaminases and prothrombin activity – showed sustained and significant improvement. Following evaluation, the medical team concluded the therapy was effective and disconnected the support system. 

The patient remains in stable condition, with physiological and biochemical indicators approaching normal levels. 

This combined model of “gene-edited organs plus extracorporeal life support” pioneers a new approach to the application of xenogeneic organs, providing organ function support without removing the patient’s native organ, China Science Daily reported. 

According to Dou, the preliminary success of this technology marks another milestone in xenotransplantation, China Science Daily reported. 

Global Times