A Chinese research team published a paper Monday in the British journal Nature Medicine, reporting the world's first successful transplantation of a genetically-edited pig lung into a brain-dead human recipient.
中国科研团队于周一在英国《自然・医学》期刊发表论文,报告了全球首例基因编辑猪肺成功移植到脑死亡人体的案例。
This achievement is expected to help ease the shortage of lung donors and has been hailed by international experts as "a milestone" in the field, according to Xinhua News Agency.
据新华社报道,这一成果有望缓解肺源短缺问题,被国际专家誉为该领域的“里程碑” 事件。
A research team led by He Jianxing, a professor at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, transplanted a lung from a six-gene-edited pig into a 39-year-old brain-dead male human recipient following a brain hemorrhage. The lung xenograft remained viable and functional throughout the 216-hour monitoring period, without signs of hyperacute rejection or infection, according to the paper in Nature Medicine.
由广州医科大学附属第一医院何建行教授带领的科研团队,将一头经过6 处基因编辑的猪的肺脏,移植到一名因脑出血脑死亡的 39 岁男性受者体内。《自然・医学》期刊的论文显示,在 216 小时(9 天)的监测期内,这一异种移植肺始终保持存活且功能正常,未出现超急性排斥反应及感染迹象。
The donor pig had undergone six genetic edits to reduce immune risks. Postoperative monitoring of respiration, blood, and imaging showed that the transplanted lung sustained ventilation and gas-exchange functions for up to nine days, with no occurrence of hyperacute rejection during this period. Concurrent pathogen monitoring also revealed no signs of active infection, the Xinhua report said.
报道称,供体猪共进行了6 处基因编辑,以降低免疫排斥风险。术后对呼吸、血液及影像学的监测表明,移植肺维持通气和气体交换功能达 9 天,期间未发生超急性排斥反应;同时开展的病原体监测也未发现活动性感染迹象。
As of April, more than 7.05 million people have registered as organ donors in China, the Global Times learned in April. There have been more than 58,000 organ donations, 63,000 body donations, and 110,000 corneal donations, restoring sight to 100,000, saving over 170,000 lives and supporting medical education and research. Yet, the country still faces a donor shortage.
《环球时报》4 月获悉,截至 2024 年 4 月,我国器官捐献志愿者登记人数已超 705 万。全国累计完成器官捐献超 5.8 万例、遗体捐献超 6.3 万例、角膜捐献超 11 万例,累计让 10 万名患者重见光明、17 万余名患者重获新生,并为医学教育科研提供了支持。尽管如此,我国器官供体短缺问题仍未得到根本解决。
"Currently, global demand for organ transplants is rising, and xenotransplantation is considered a potential solution to the shortage of donors," He told Xinhua. "This achievement marks a critical step forward in xenogeneic lung transplantation."
“当前全球器官移植需求持续增长,异种移植被认为是解决供体短缺的潜在方案。” 何建行向新华社表示,“这一成果标志着异种肺移植研究迈出关键一步。”
Liu Changqiu, the deputy head of Life Law Research Society of Shanghai Law Society, told the Global Times on Tuesday that there are three major approaches for future organ supply, which are xenotransplantation, development of artificial organs as well as cultivating organs through cloned human cells, the latter of which still faces technical bottlenecks.
上海市法学会生命法学研究会副会长刘长秋周二向《环球时报》指出,未来器官供应主要有三种途径,分别是异种移植、人工器官研发以及通过人体克隆细胞培育器官,其中后者目前仍面临技术瓶颈。
Given ongoing challenges in cloned and artificial organ development, xenotransplantation plays a critical role in easing the shortage of donors, Liu said.
刘长秋表示,鉴于克隆器官和人工器官研发仍存在挑战,异种移植在缓解供体短缺方面发挥着关键作用。
He stated that the next steps will focus on optimizing gene-editing strategies and anti-rejection treatment plans to extend the survival and functionality of transplanted organs.
何建行团队透露,下一步将重点优化基因编辑策略与抗排斥治疗方案,以延长移植器官的存活时间并提升功能。
The team plans to apply their self-developed tube-free technology to xenogeneic lung transplantation trials to reduce the damage caused by mechanical ventilation to donor lungs and accelerate the translation of xenogeneic lung transplantation into clinical practice.
团队还计划将自主研发的无插管技术应用于异种肺移植试验,减少机械通气对供体肺造成的损伤,推动异种肺移植技术更快向临床转化。
The research team emphasized that the study strictly complied to national laws, regulations, and ethical guidelines, and underwent review and supervision by the hospital's ethics committee and other relevant institutions.
科研团队强调,该研究严格遵循国家法律法规与伦理准则,经过医院伦理委员会及相关机构的审查与监督。
The recipient, who had suffered severe traumatic brain injury, was confirmed brain-dead after multiple independent evaluations. The family, motivated by a desire to support medical progress, agreed to participate in the study without compensation. The study concluded on the ninth day at the family's request, per Xinhua.
据新华社介绍,此次移植的受者因严重创伤性脑损伤,经多次独立评估确认脑死亡。其家属出于支持医学进步的意愿,无偿同意参与该研究。应家属要求,研究在第9 天终止。
Xenotransplantation, the process of transplanting animal organs into humans, is a cutting-edge field in global medical research. International experts have praised this breakthrough.
异种移植(将动物器官移植到人体)是全球医学研究的前沿领域,中国团队的这一突破获得国际专家高度评价。
Xinhua cited Beatriz Domínguez-Gil, director of the Spanish National Transplant Organization, as saying that, "Previous xenotransplantation trials have been limited to kidneys, hearts, and livers. Compared with these, xenogeneic lung transplantation faces greater challenges. Due to the lung's delicate physiological balance, its exposure to substantial blood flow, and its constant contact with the external air, it is particularly vulnerable to damage."
新华社援引西班牙国家移植组织主任贝亚特里斯・多明格斯- 希尔的评价称:“此前的异种移植试验多集中在肾脏、心脏和肝脏领域。与这些器官相比,异种肺移植面临的挑战更大 —— 肺脏生理结构脆弱,不仅需承受大量血流灌注,还需持续与外界空气接触,因此极易受损。”
She described the Chinese team's achievement as "a milestone" in related research.
她将中国团队的这一成果称为相关研究领域的“里程碑”。