For the first time in the world... a pig lung transplanted into a human body

Scientists at Guangzhou Medical University in China have achieved an unprecedented medical breakthrough after successfully transplanting a genetically modified pig lung into a human, the first verified case of its kind in the world.

The researchers explained that the transplanted lung was placed in the body of a brain-dead patient, and experiments showed that the new organ was able to maintain its functionality for a full nine days without being rejected by the immune system.

According to the British newspaper, the Daily Mail, previous attempts have included transplanting pig hearts and kidneys into human bodies, but these have not achieved similar success with lungs, which are more fragile and complex due to their direct exposure to outside air and toxins.

Scientists noted that they had to genetically modify the pig before obtaining its left lung, which was later transplanted into the brain-dead donor's body, while life support machines continued to maintain partial function of its heart and lungs.

The transplanted lung remained functional for 216 hours, equivalent to nine days, which experts described as a "revolutionary step" in the field of organ transplantation.

The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, confirms that the success of this experiment opens the door to the possibility of using genetically modified animal organs to address the severe global shortage of human organs.

However, researchers cautioned that there is still a long way to go before clinical trials on living patients are possible, due to complex medical challenges, most notably high blood flow and the potential for the transplanted lung to be exposed to immune attack over time.