Advances in Organ and Tissue Xenotransplantation

Abstract

End-stage organ failure can result from various preexisting conditions and occurs in patients of all ages, and organ transplantation remains its only treatment. In recent years, extensive research has been done to explore the possibility of transplanting animal organs into humans, a process referred to as xenotransplantation. Due to their matching organ sizes and other anatomical and physiological similarities with humans, pigs are the preferred organ donor species. Organ rejection due to host immune response and possible interspecies infectious pathogen transmission have been the biggest hurdles to xenotransplantation's success. Use of genetically engineered pigs as tissue and organ donors for xenotransplantation has helped to address these hurdles. Although several preclinical trials have been conducted in nonhuman primates, some barriers still exist and demand further efforts. This review focuses on the recent advances and remaining challenges in organ and tissue xenotransplantation. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Animal Biosciences, Volume 12 is February 2024. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Comparative analysis of swine leukocyte antigen gene diversity in Göttingen Minipigs

“…Miniature pigs have become promising donor animals for xenotransplantation because of their anatomical and physiological characteristics that are very similar to those of humans ( 4 , 5 , 16 ). Similarly, to allogeneic transplantation, the high MHC variability also represents a major immunological hurdle in xenotransplantation as it allows for the presentation of the genetic differences between donor and recipient at major and minor histocompatibility antigen level ( 46 – 48 ). Incompatible MHC genes inflicts an acute cellular rejection [immunological rejection including hyperacute rejection (HAR), acute humoral xenograft rejection (AHXR) or immune cell-mediated rejection] to the recipient leading to immediate graft loss or development of a chronic rejection that induces, in most cases, a late graft failure ( 49 , 50 ).…”