Pig Liver and Two Kidneys Transplanted into Brain-Dead Patient in Chinese Xenotransplant Trial

Surgeons in China transplanted a liver and two kidneys from a single genetically modified pig into a brain-dead patient on June 7, 2026. The procedure marked the first recorded instance of multi-organ xenotransplantation. The organs came from a pig engineered to reduce immune-system incompatibility with humans.

They were not rejected in the hours after the operation, according to the trial report. The patient was already brain-dead when the procedure took place. The operation was conducted as a controlled trial rather than a therapeutic intervention.

Kidneys and livers are frequently transplanted together because liver failure commonly impairs kidney function. Prior efforts have involved single or partial pig organs, but none combined a full liver with both kidneys. In the United States, more than 100,000 people are currently waiting for organ transplants.

More than 4,700 of those patients die each year before an organ becomes available. Researchers view pig organs as a potential way to expand supply and reduce deaths on transplant waiting lists.