Xenotransplantation is a procedure involving the transplantation of living cells, tissue or organs between species. In the early 1900s, animal to human transplants were conducted where scientists used organs from species, such as pigs, goats, lambs, and monkeys to replace failing organs found in human patients. None of these procedures succeeded due to rejection, and because scientists had yet to discover how the immune system functioned in defense to a ‘foreign’ organ, further trials were discontinued. Currently however, xenotransplantation is being considered worldwide as we now have the advanced technology to help us fully understand the potential risks the transplant could induce.
Scientists all around the world are now considering Xenotransplantation as there are very few human tissue and organs available. Causing many patients who desperately need replacement organs to wait for a suitable donor. The average median waiting time for an organ transplant ranges from approximately 4 months (heart or lung transplant) up to 5 years (kidney transplant). This clearly poses an issue to patients in desperate need of a transplant, as it is likely they are unable to wait that period of time to find
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Forms of rejection can be alleviated in many ways including, genetically engineering the donors tissue using genetic modification (GM) or by weakening/reducing the recipients immune system response to foreign genetic material using immunosuppressant drugs (eg. Tacrolimus, Mycophenolate Acid, Sirolimus etc) which also sustain enough immunity to prevent immense infections. An alternative method to reduce the risk of rejection is to alter the immune system to tolerate the transplanted cells, tissue or organ. Therefore, the immune system will not send out chemical messages to T and B cells, found continuously circulating the body, to attack and destroy the new