The radical “innovation” of xenotransplantation—the idea of transplanting genetically engineered organs from animals into humans—has been touted as a solve for the growing organ shortage, but a recent .
After years of research into xenotransplantation, the field is at a turning point—yet risks and ethical issues remain .
Some scientists are confident that organs from genetically modified pigs will one day be routinely transplanted into humans.
Three patients who received pig organs died within eight weeks of their surgeries and a NJ patient had transplanted pig kidney removed.
All four patients who received pig organs to replace their diseased organs have now died, though researchers involved in these transplants say they will keep trying to improve this alternative source .
For decades, the promise of xenotransplantation — the transplantation of organs from animals into humans — has remained just beyond reach.
Xenotransplantation (transplantation of organs from other species to humans) is now seen as a solution to the problem.
Research into the transfer of animal organs to humans, known as xenotransplantation, has been going on for decades.
The xenotransplantation approach seeks to alleviate shortage of human organs, and could potentially provide a lifeline to people waiting in long queues because of a shortage of donors.
Doctors at Xijing Hospital, affiliated with Air Force Medical University in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, recently transplanted a multi-gene-edited pig kidney into a patient with end-stage renal disease, .