In January 2022, surgeons in the United States performed a groundbreaking medical procedure by transplanting a pig heart into a person to save his life. Following a review of his medical records, top transplant centres determined that the patient was ineligible for a traditional or artificial heart transplant.
What is Xenotransplantation?
Transplanting, inserting, or infusing live tissues, organs, or cells from a nonhuman animal source into a human recipient is xenotransplantation. Xenotransplantation involves the ex vivo contact of human body fluids, tissues, organs, or cells with live nonhuman animal cells, tissues, or organs.
Organ rejection is one of the most significant barriers to transplantation. In the preceding example, scientists solved the issue by genetically modifying the organs of pigs. The donor pig underwent ten genetic alterations in which the genes associated with the human body’s immediate rejection of foreign organs were inactivated or wiped off.
The Evolution of Xenotransplantation
- Human xenotransplantation was first attempted in the 1980s. In 1984, American Baby Fae, diagnosed with a congenital cardiac problem, received a baboon heart.
- Although the procedure was successful, the infant succumbed within a month of the transplantation because her immune system rejected it.
- For over 50 years, pig heart valves have been utilised to replace defective valves.
- In addition, some diabetic patients have received porcine pancreatic cells.
Why are pigs the most commonly utilised for xenotransplantation?
- Pigs are becoming more common organ transplant recipients.
- Pigs outperform primates in organ harvesting because they are simpler to grow and reach an adult human size in six months.
- Pigs also have a huge litter. As a result, pigs might produce an endless supply of organs, tissues, and cells.
- Pig organs are anatomically and physiologically comparable to human organs. For example, cardiac output and stroke volume, two important measures of cardiac function, have been observed to be equivalent in pigs and humans.
- Moreover, porcine components are also more suited for genetic engineering. According to scientists, pigs can be genetically modified to lessen the odds of rejection by the human body.
The Importance of Xenotransplantation
As per the World Health Organization, more than 114,000 organ transplants are performed worldwide yearly, yet they only meet less than 10% of global requirements. If proved compatible in the long term, xenotransplantation might provide an alternate source of organs to patients suffering from life-threatening conditions. This development would assist in easing global organ scarcity.
The abundant supply of organs will aid in the resolution of organ trafficking difficulties as well as ethical concerns about the practice of commercial transactions between a possible receiver and a paid live donor.
Associated Issues
- Xenotransplantation involves several medical concerns.
- Immunological rejection from animal to human transplantation poses significant dangers to the patient. In rare situations, this can result in the recipient’s instant death. Although well-human donor organs can be rejected after transplantation, the risk is likely greater with animal organs.
- Pigs have a shorter life than humans, so their tissues deteriorate faster. As a result, it is unclear if the organ will survive in the long run.
- Disease transmission (zoonosis) continues to be a serious public health problem. Concerns have been raised about the possible infection of receivers with both identified and unknown infectious organisms and the subsequent dissemination to their close contacts and the wider human population.
- Aside from the medical difficulties, xenotransplantation involves several ethical concerns.
- Animal rights groups, like those who oppose animal experimentation, have raised ethical concerns about xenotransplantation. Animal rights activists vehemently oppose killing animals to extract their organs for human use.
- Permanent changes to an animal’s genetic coding are also grounds for concern. Activists argue that modifying animal DNA to make them more human-like is immoral.
