Pig liver transplant for monkeys

A Tibetan-born monkey can enter biological history after a successful liver transplant. The side for the liver is a asexual pig. It was information from Xijing Hospital in Xi'an, China.

The liver transplant was conducted on May 28, 2013, so far the monkey is in stable condition and this liver transplant is considered successful. In early May, Chinese doctors also attempted a liver transplant for another monkey, but it survived only two days after surgery. Therefore, this case is considered a breakthrough in organ transplantation important for the body. Similar experiments have been performed in the US, Australia, Germany and Japan.

In Korea alone, scientists have tried to transplant a heart and a kidney for 2 monkeys, but they only live 25 days. Xijing Hospital's scientific research project has been running for 4 years but lacks the support to source donated liver for transplant, doctors must use pig liver.

Professor Kefeng Dou told AsiaOne magazine that after 3 hours of surgery, the monkey was able to breathe naturally and the biological signs were stable. The Daily Mail also quoted Kefeng Dou as saying that the transgenic pig's liver has an advantage over human liver because of the lower risk of rejection. This is a very important basis for both theory and practice in the clinical application of human organ transplantation in the absence of organ donation.

The monkey from Tibet is being closely monitored by Xijing Hospital doctors to ensure its condition does not deteriorate. Doctors also plan to transplant for many other animals to gain experience before transplanting for humans.