Animal to Human Transplants Considered
Posted on: Tuesday, 27 March 2007, 15:00 CDT
A U.S. scientist said the creation of genetically modified pigs has rekindled hopes of successful xenotransplantation -- interspecies organ transplants.
Given the shortage of donor organs, researchers have been trying to find a way to transplant animal organs into humans. The major stumbling block, said Dr Muhammad Mohiuddin of the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, is that the immune system in the animal receiving the organ tends to reject the transplant.
But he said the recent development of genetically modified pigs that are more compatible with humans has reinstated hope for the success of xenotransplantation.
However, he cautioned such research is a long way from being relevant to humans, mainly because of the risks of immune rejection and the transmittal of viruses and other pathogens from one species to another.
Mohiuddin discusses xenotransplantation issues in the journal PLoS Medicine.
Source: United Press International
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