Monkey makes medical history after having a successful liver transplant from a cloned PIG

Tibetan macaque underwent the operation in Xijing Hospital in Xi'an, China

He is said to be in a stable condition and can 'spontaneously breathe'

Previous experiments failed after the monkeys died after 24 days

Success of this operation has been hailed as a breakthrough in the field of major organ transplant surgeries

A Tibetan macaque has entered the record books after successfully undergoing a liver transplant using an organ taken from a cloned pig.



The Xijing Hospital in Xi'an, China, announced that it made the successful liver transplant from the pig to a monkey on Thursday.



The transplant took place on 28 May and the macaque is now in a stable enough condition for the transplant to be considered a success.

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The Tibetan macaque is seen sitting upright and breathing without the help of an oxygen mask at the Xijing Hospital in Xi'an, China. The monkey is the first animal to become medically stable after surviving a liver transplant using an organ from a cloned pig The Tibetan macaque lies in an intensive care unit ten days after undergoing a liver transplant at Xijing Hospital in Xian, China. Dou Kefeng, a professor at the hospital said that the macaque was 'spontaneously' breathing and was in a stable condition

Experts said that the success of this operation is a breakthrough in the field of major organ transplant surgeries.

Doctors at the Chinese hospital had attempted the transplant earlier in May with a different Tibetan macaque and the liver from transgenic pig but the monkey died two days after the operation.

Similar experiments have also been carried out in the United States, Germany, Australia and Japan.

In South Korea last June scientists transplanted a heart and kidney from a cloned pig to two monkeys but the animals did not become stable and survived for only 24 and 25 days after the operation.

Doctors at the Xijing Hospital in China performed a similar operation earlier in May, however the macaque reacted badly to the pig's liver and after developing complications died two days following surgery

The Xijing Hospital has become a leader in the field of transplants using transgenic organs in China. Since 1997 doctors at the medical institute have performed more than 300 transplant operations

Xijing Hospital started the clinical research project four years ago due to a shortage of domestic and international liver donors for transplants.

Speaking after the successful transplant, Dou Kefeng, a professor at the hospital told AsiaOne : 'Three hours after the transplantation, the monkey could spontaneously breathe and its vital signs were stable'

He added that the organs from genetically altered pigs are preferable to human organs because the is a lower risk that the monkey's body will reject it.



The longest any animal has survived after undergoing a transplant using genetically modified organs was 25 days in South Korea, last June. Korean scientists transplanted a heart and kidney from a cloned pig to two monkeys but the animals did not become stable and died 24 and 25 days after the operation

The Tibetan macaque is still being monitored by doctors at the Xijing Hospital in China to make sure his condition doesn't deteriorate. This is the first successful liver transplant of its kind and the doctors plan to carry out more experiments on animals before trialling the procedure on humans

ROAD TO TRANSGENIC SUCCESS

Doctors had attempted the transplant earlier in May with a different Tibetan macaque but the monkey died two days after the operation. In South Korea last June scientists transplanted a heart and kidney from a cloned pig to two monkeys but the animals did not become stable and survived for only 24 and 25 days after the operation. Similar experiments have also been carried out in the United States, Germany, Australia and Japan. Transgenic organs are preferable to human organs because doctors claims the macaques bodies are less likely to reject them.

And that the surgery 'laid a theoretical and experimental basis for the clinical application of such transplants, which could provide a solution to the shortage of human organs for transplants.'

The hospital began performing liver transplants in 1997.



It is considered a leader in the field in China and has performed more than 300 successful organ transplants.

The Tibetan macaque is still being monitored by doctors at the Xijing Hospital in China to make sure his condition doesn't deteriorate.



The doctors plan to carry out more tests on animals before similar operations using transgenic organs can be transplanted into humans.



This image shows the Tibetan macaque's hand during the surgery. His condition including heart rate and blood pressure was monitored throughout using the same techniques and machines used by doctors to track the health of their human patients



