The First China (Neijiang) Xenotransplant Development and Innovation Conference was held on Wednesday in Neijiang, Sichuan province.

Under the guidance of the China National Center for Biotechnology Development and the Sichuan Provincial Department of Science and Technology, the conference drew more than 100 experts and entrepreneurs from home and abroad.

Participants conducted in-depth discussions on the current status and prospects of preclinical and subclinical research on xenotransplantation in China, as well as industry standards and patient concerns.

About 300,000 patients in China need organ transplants every year, but only 20,000 operations are performed. Genetically modified xenogeneic organs are expected to solve the shortage of donated organs, according to the China National Center for Biotechnology Development.