Q J Med 2000; 93: 63-66
© 2000 Association of Physicians
Editorial |
Xenotransplantation: postponed by a millennium?
Department of Surgery and Liver Research Laboratories, MRC Centre for Immune Regulation, Liver Research Laboratories, University of Birmingham Institute for Clinical Science, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham
In the late 1980s, a persistent shortage of human donor organs and the availability of new molecular techniques sparked a renewed interest in transplantation of organs and tissues across the species barrier. In spite of the considerable phylogenetic distance to humans, the pig was chosen for its size, breeding pattern and general availability as the most suitable xenogeneic donor species. The following years saw substantial financial and intellectual investments in xenotransplantation, which resulted in the development of genetically modified animals that were thought to be suitable for use in clinical trials. Although these clinical trials are yet to be implemented, the issues that drove the initial enthusiasm, notably the shortage of human donors, have become even more acute in recent years, strengthening the need for alternative sources of organs for transplantation. However, serious reservations remain about the use of xenotransplantation. If we assume, and this is a major assumption in
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