Xenotransplantation: is this the future?
The modern era of xenotransplantation, ie, transplantation across species, involving use of genetically modified pigs as potential organ and tissue donors for human recipients, is now more than 5 years old but remains essentially an experimental and controversial procedure. The status of the field is reviewed with regard to immunologic barriers, especially delayed xenograft rejection, infectious risks, biocompatibility issues, and associated problems. The case is made that robust clinical application is still at least a decade away although in the interim knowledge developing from the experimental approaches under investigation is proving of unexpected use in several areas of medicine.
Hancock
W W
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Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous / Q000276:immunology; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000453:epidemiology