The need for xenotransplantation as a source of organs and cells for clinical transplantation

Abstract

The limited availability of deceased human organs and cells for the purposes of clinical transplantation remains critical worldwide. Despite the increasing utilization of ‘high-risk’, ‘marginal’, or ‘extended criteria’ deceased donors, in the U.S. each day 30 patients either die or are removed from the waiting list because they become too sick to undergo organ transplantation. In certain other countries, where there is cultural resistance to deceased donation, e.g., Japan, the increased utilization of living donors, e.g., of a single kidney or partial liver, only very partially addresses the organ shortage. For transplants of tissues and cells, e.g., pancreatic islet transplantation for patients with diabetes, and corneal transplantation for patients with corneal blindness (whose numbers worldwide are potentially in the millions), allotransplantation will never prove a sufficient source. There is an urgent need for an alternative source of organs and cells. The pig could prove to be a satisfactory source, and clinical xenotransplantation using pig organs or cells, particularly with the advantages provided by genetic engineering to provide resistance to the human immune response, may resolve the organ shortage. The physiologic compatibilities and incompatibilities of the pig and the human are briefly reviewed.

An association between type A porcine endogenous retrovirus copy number and hematological parameters and gender in miniature pigs

“…Xenotransplantation of organs/cells from pig to human offers a potential solution to this problem. Pig is the most promising species for xenotransplantation due to its anatomical and physiological similarity to humans, as well as for ethical and economic reasons (Ekser et al, 2015). However, the widespread implementation of xenotransplantation in clinical practice has been hampered by the risk of infecting the recipient with zoonotic infectious diseases.…”

Xenotransplantation

“…However, the shortage of transplantable organs remains as the major hurdle in the field of transplantation despite the use of marginal deceased donors and living donors [1]. Xenotransplantation (i.e., cross-species transplantation between pig and humans) could offer an unlimited and prompt supply of transplantable organs, when needed [2].…”

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“…1 Because of increased organ transplants and the development of better surgical techniques, the number of patients on organ transplant wait lists is growing exponentially. However, a major current problem in organ transplant is the gap between the number of available transplantable organs and the number of patients waiting for an organ graft.…”

“…However, a major current problem in organ transplant is the gap between the number of available transplantable organs and the number of patients waiting for an organ graft. 1 Therefore, the need for xenotransplant has gradually increased.…”