(Yicai) Aug. 26 -- A Chinese research team successfully transplanted a lung from a genetically modified pig into a brain-dead person for the first time.

The team, led by He Jianxing, professor at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, said there were no signs of rejection, infection, or graft failure in the first three days after the transplant, according to an article published on Nature Medicine yesterday.

However, the transplanted lung started swelling 24 hours after the surgery, when the team also noticed tissue damage from the lack of oxygen during the procedure. Antibodies attacked the organ on the third and sixth days, causing damage, which had reduced on day nine, when the study was stopped at the request of the recipient’s family.

The lung was taken from a Bama miniature pig that had six parts genetically edited to lower immune system risks after the transplant.

Global demand for organ transplants is increasing day by day, and xenotransplantation is expected to resolve the dilemma of donor shortage, He said, adding that this procedure marks a crucial step forward in xenotransplantation.

In the next step, the research team will further optimize strategies of gene editing and treatment plans against rejections and reactions to prolong the survival of transplanted organs and the time they maintain their functions, He noted.

The team will also apply its self-developed tube-free technology in lung xenotransplantation experiments to reduce damage to the lungs caused by ventilation through machines and promote lung xenotransplantation to clinical application, he pointed out.

The team’s research scheme is strictly compliant with Chinese laws and regulations, as well as its codes of ethics, according to He. The whole procedure was reviewed and supervised by the hospital’s committee of ethics and many other organizations.

Editor: Futura Costaglione