A Chinese medical team has successfully transplanted a pig's liver and kidneys into a brain-dead patient, a world-first xenotransplantation. The organs functioned for nearly five days, potentially advancing multi-organ transplants.

A Chinese team has transplanted a pig’s kidneys and liver into a patient who had suffered brain death, a world first which may pave the way for multi-organ animal-to-human transplants. After the operation, the organs functioned within the 53-year-old man for nearly five days before the study was ended per his family’s wishes. Xenotransplantation, or the transplant of organs or tissues from one species to another, could help tackle global organ shortages that leave patients in limbo or...