HEFEI — Chinese researchers have successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig liver into a human patient with severe liver cancer, they announced on Friday, marking a breakthrough in xenotransplantation involving humans.

The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University in Hefei, the capital of Anhui province, said the operation was conducted on May 17 by a team led by Professor Sun Beicheng from the hospital, in collaboration with a team led by Professor Wei Hong jiang from Yunnan Agricultural University.

Sun said that the 71-year-old patient's body did not reject the organ within the first seven days following the operation, nor did he experience any disorder to his coagulation system.

The operation was the first clinically assisted pig-to-human xenogenic liver transplant and the fifth xenogeneic organ transplant in the world, he said.

The patient is able to move around freely, and his liver function and many other health indicators have returned to normal, Sun said.

Last month, Chinese researchers successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig liver into a brain-dead patient at Xijing Hospital at Air Force Medical University in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province.

Xinhua