Annual review of basic research on liver transplantation in China in 2025

The year 2025 is a crucial one for the leapfrog development of basic research in liver transplantation in China. This article systematically reviews and summarizes the major original contributions made by Chinese scholars in the field of liver transplantation during the year. In the field of xenotransplantation, our research teams have successively completed the world's first gene-modified pig-human in situ and auxiliary liver transplantation, marking that China is leading globally in the clinical transformation of xenogeneic organs. In the aspect of donor liver source expansion and repair, the deep integration of domestic bionic oxygenation mechanical perfusion system with cell-loaded microgels and 3D bioprinting technology has successfully achieved the dynamic functional repair of marginal donor livers and the preliminary construction of artificial liver tissues. Regarding elderly donor livers, the mechanism of the interaction-driven network between senescent hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells and hepatocytes was revealed for the first time, promoting the transformation from "passive treatment" to "active management of aging risks". In addition, domestic research has systematically revealed the multi-dimensional pathological mechanisms of ischemia-reperfusion injury, including acetylation regulation and cell pyroptosis, ferroptosis, etc. and innovatively proposed cutting-edge strategies such as "hibernation mechanism-driven organ protection" and "donor-specific thymus vaccine". In the aspects of liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma and precise management, the deep integration of multi-omics technology and artificial intelligence has demonstrated high accuracy in postoperative complication prediction and tumor recurrence prediction, providing solid evidence-based basis for enhancing the international discourse power of "Chinese standards". Through this annual academic review, this article aims to showcase the core breakthroughs in basic research on liver transplantation in China, and contribute wisdom to promoting the transformation of clinical diagnosis and treatment paradigms and achieving international academic alignment.