In a medical first that sounds more like science fiction than science fact, surgeons in China have completed the world’s first pig-to-human liver transplant—and the results could change the future of organ donation forever.

A bold leap in the organ shortage crisis​

Doctors have long searched for solutions to the organ shortage crisis.

Now, thanks to xenotransplantation—transplanting animal organs into humans—hope may finally be on the horizon.


The groundbreaking procedure involved transplanting a liver from a genetically modified Bama miniature pig into a 50-year-old man who was clinically dead.

The family had given permission for the experimental procedure, and the results stunned doctors: the pig liver produced bile and maintained blood flow for 10 full days inside a human body.

Could pig livers bridge the deadly wait for donors?​

While this transplant wasn’t performed on a living patient, the implications are enormous.

Researchers say this could be the start of using pig livers as “bridge organs”—buying critical time for patients with liver failure while they wait for a human donor.

The science behind the pig-human match​

The pig used in the transplant wasn’t ordinary—it underwent six genetic modifications to reduce the risk of rejection.

Scientists deactivated three pig genes and added three human genes to improve compatibility.

Once removed, the liver was chilled in a special solution, then connected to the man’s blood vessels during a nine-hour surgery.

“The liver collected from the modified pig functioned very well in the human body,” said Professor Lin Wang, lead researcher from the Fourth Military Medical University in Xi’an. “It’s a great achievement.”

Not just a one-off: the rise of pig organs in medicine​

This isn’t the first time pig organs have made headlines.

In recent years, doctors have transplanted pig hearts and kidneys into humans—with growing success. But the liver is uniquely complex, performing over 500 vital functions.

The fact that the pig liver could produce bile and maintain stable circulation in a human body—no small feat—is now seen as a major scientific milestone.

“The liver collected from the modified pig functioned very well in the human body,” said Wang.

What happens next?​

Although the liver was removed after 10 days at the family’s request, the transplant’s success—published in the journal Nature—has opened the door to further trials.

The team hopes to eventually test the procedure in living (non-brain-dead) patients, though ethical and regulatory hurdles remain.

The ethical frontier​

With every medical leap comes important questions.

Animal-to-human transplants raise debates about animal welfare, long-term safety, and consent.

And while the patient in this case was already clinically dead, future trials involving living people will require even stricter oversight.
Would you consider receiving an organ from an animal if it meant saving your life—or a loved one’s? Are we ready for this future? Drop your thoughts in the comments below—we want to hear from you.

Also read:

• A groundbreaking medical discovery is making waves—could this be the next big leap in medical innovation?
• Can an organ donor kill you? The shocking Arizona case that will change how you see transplants forever!