Surgeons have successfully transplanted a gene-edited pig lung into a brain-dead patient and kept the organ functioning for more than 10 days. The landmark case, reported in Nature Medicine, has drawn worldwide attention.

Behind the operation, Yantian-based life-sciences firm MGI Group supplied an ultra-high-throughput sequencing platform that served as a central biosafety safeguard for the trial.

Unlike conventional tests that target specific known agents, MGI Group’s system performed untargeted metagenomic sequencing on the donor lung. The platform scanned all genetic material in the sample—host pig DNA and RNA as well as any bacterial, fungal or viral sequences—to create a comprehensive profile of the organ’s biological content.

In a matter of hours, the sequencer produced and decoded billions of reads, cross-referencing them in real time with global pathogen databases. These rapid comparisons enabled clinicians and researchers to quickly identify or exclude known infectious threats that could complicate a xenotransplant.

Project team members described the continuous, high-resolution sequencing output as a “safety gatekeeper.”

By rapidly narrowing biosafety uncertainties, the technology materially shortened the timeframe for pathogen assessment compared with traditional methods and supported ongoing monitoring during the post-transplant observation period.

The case marks both a scientific milestone in organ xenotransplantation and a demonstration of the growing role of advanced genomic surveillance in clinical innovation.