Xenotransplantation

2 Pages 586 Words

I would like to state the facts and corolations upon the subject of Xenotransplantation - the transplant of animal organs into human beings - is a multi-billion-dollar business venture built on the anticipated sale of patented techniques and organs, as well as drugs to overcome organ rejection (1). It has received strong criticism and opposition from scientists warning of the risks of new viruses crossing from animal organs to human subjects and from there to infect the population at large. But regulators are adopting a permissive attitude for clinical trials to go ahead. Scientific reports of virus crossing from pig to human cells (2) and of viral infections in human subjects transplanted with baboon livers (3) Instead, efforts should be devoted to developing safer, more sustainable and affordable alternatives that are already showing promise and will be more likely to benefit society as a whole in the industrialised West as well as in the Third World. Xenotransplantation - the transplant of organs or tissues between species - has become a major issue within the past 10 years. Biotech companies are developing genetically engineered ‘humanised’ pigs to meet the demand for spare body parts in the industrialised worldit has received strong criticism and opposition from mainstream scientistsBut these warnings have done little to dampen the enthusiasm for continued research well into clinical trials. Transgenic pigs, rather than our close relatives, primates, were considered as organ donors because there are greater ethical objections to using primates, many of which are endangered protected speciesIntended xenotransplant recipient animals were not screened for viruses and post-mortems of transplant recipients did not include examination for viral infectionsAccording to the United Network for Organ Sharing, the number of transplants increased from 12,000 to 20,000 between 1988 and 1996; while the number on the waiting list soared from 1...