Pig kidney transplanted into renal disease patient

Doctors at Xijing Hospital, affiliated with Air Force Medical University in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, recently transplanted a multi-gene-edited pig kidney into a patient with end-stage renal disease, marking a significant milestone in xenotransplantation.

A multidisciplinary team led by Qin Weijun, director of the hospital's urology department, performed the surgery on March 6 under the guidance of Dou Kefeng, an academician from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Upon restoring blood flow, the kidney turned a healthy reddish color and began producing urine. Six days after the operation, the transplanted kidney remained functional, with the patient's serum creatinine levels returning to normal.