Baylor and United Therapeutics Partnered for Pig Liver Research

The collaboration targets human liver transplantation using genetically modified organs within five years.

Updated on Oct. 1, 2026 in Life Sciences

Baylor and United Therapeutics Partnered for Pig Liver Research

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Do you support the development of genetically modified pig organs for human transplantation?

Baylor College of Medicine and United Therapeutics have entered a research partnership to develop genetically modified pig livers suitable for human transplantation. The initiative, which establishes a new research center in Houston, addresses the critical shortage for the more than 9,000 people on the U.S. liver transplant waiting list.

Why it matters

Unlike heart or kidney failure, there are currently no reliable technological stopgaps like dialysis for patients with end-stage liver failure. This research seeks to overcome the rapid immune rejection caused by sugar molecules in pig livers that typically trigger immediate organ failure in humans.

The project will leverage pigs genetically modified to mask sugar molecules that trigger rejection, a process that has previously required between 6 and 69 gene edits. While past experimental pig kidney transplants have sustained life for nine months, liver-specific xenotransplantation remains early-stage research.

The players

Baylor College of Medicine

A Houston-based medical research institution focusing on clinical trials and advanced surgical techniques.

United Therapeutics

A biotechnology firm co-headquartered in Maryland and North Carolina specializing in organ manufacturing and pulmonary disease therapies.

The details

The research program splits into four arms: basic body reaction studies, extraction methods, pig genetic modification, and clinical liver applications. Because pig livers contain specific carbohydrate structures on their cell surfaces that human antibodies immediately recognize as foreign, researchers must use CRISPR-based gene editing to remove these markers. This aims to prevent the hyperacute rejection that historically stalled xenotransplantation efforts before they reach the patient in a clinical setting.

1960s: Emergence of the xenotransplantation research concept.
Last year: A patient in China received a pig liver transplant and survived for 171 days.
Earlier this year: A patient in Massachusetts lived for nine months with a genetically modified pig kidney.
Fall 2026: Scheduled opening of a $96 million United Therapeutics facility in Houston.
Next five years: Duration of the research agreement and anticipated timeline for human testing.

The Tech Race

This effort builds upon recent successful precedents involving the transplantation of genetically modified pig kidneys and hearts into human patients. It marks a shift from general organ research toward the highly specific biological requirements of liver replacement, which remains one of the most challenging areas of transplant science.

This research is currently in the development phase and will not impact patient care until human testing begins in approximately five years. Residents in Houston may see the impact of the $96 million facility construction over the next two years, though clinical availability for patients remains a long-term goal.

The takeaway

This partnership represents a significant step toward creating a reliable supply of donor organs for patients with end-stage liver failure. Observers should track the upcoming fall 2026 facility opening in Houston as a key indicator of the infrastructure being built to support future human clinical trials.