Ethical considerations are significant, involving animal welfare, patient consent, and concerns about creating a two-tiered system where some patients receive animal organs instead of human ones.

A groundbreaking lung xenotransplantation was performed using a gene-edited pig's lung on a 39-year-old brain-dead patient, marking a significant milestone in addressing organ shortages.

The transplanted lung remained functional for nine days, despite signs of immune response and tissue damage, highlighting both progress and ongoing challenges.

This experiment builds on prior efforts with pig hearts, kidneys, and livers, but lungs are particularly complex due to their exposure to environmental threats and higher rejection risks.

The procedure was conducted in China and published in Nature Medicine, emphasizing the potential of xenotransplantation to expand the donor pool and save lives.

However, the study faced limitations, including a short observation period, immune reactions, and the presence of native lung tissue, necessitating further research.

Experts stress that xenotransplantation is still in the experimental stage, requiring more work to evaluate long-term viability and safety.

Current lung transplants face long wait times and limited supply, making pig organs a promising alternative to address the global organ shortage.

Future research will involve more transplants into brain-dead patients, testing bilateral transplants, and refining genetic and immunosuppressive techniques.

While recent successes in pig kidney and heart transplants are promising, experts caution that significant hurdles remain before xenotransplantation becomes routine in clinical practice.

Major challenges include managing immune responses, improving genetic modifications, and ensuring organ functionality over the long term.

Research is ongoing into growing humanized organs inside pigs and restoring human donor lungs to usable condition to enhance transplant success.