A groundbreaking medical breakthrough in northwest China has brought renewed hope to millions suffering from kidney disease. Surgeons at Xijing Hospital of the Air Force Medical University successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into a 69-year-old uremic patient – the nation\u2019s first clinical application of cross-species organ transplantation technology.
Within minutes of restoring blood flow during the March 6 procedure, the pink-hued kidney began producing urine – a critical indicator of functional success. By day three, the patient\u2019s serum creatinine levels normalized, with urine output reaching 5,468 milliliters on the sixth day. This early success offers potential solutions for China\u2019s 130 million chronic kidney disease patients, particularly the 300,000 who progress to end-stage renal failure annually.
"This represents a paradigm shift in addressing the global organ shortage," said Professor Dou Kefeng, who led the procedure at the Xi\u2019an-based hospital. The patient, who endured thrice-weekly dialysis for eight years after unsuccessful donor searches, now faces critical challenges including potential immune rejection and infection risks in coming weeks.
China joins a select group of nations advancing xenotransplantation research, with U.S. teams reporting four similar transplants since 2023. The Xijing team\u2019s previous success includes a 2023 gene-edited pig liver transplant into a brain-dead recipient, building on six-month survival benchmarks achieved in primate trials.
While ethical debates and biological hurdles remain, medical experts suggest such innovations could halve transplant waiting times within a decade. The World Health Organization estimates organ demand currently outpaces supply by 10:1 globally.
