Xenotransplantation is any procedure that involves the transplantation, implantation or infusion into a human recipient of either (a) live cells, tissues, or organs from a nonhuman animal source, or (b) human body fluids, cells, tissues or organs that have had ex vivo contact with live nonhuman animal cells, tissues or organs. The development of xenotransplantation is, in part, driven by the fact that the demand for human organs for clinical transplantation far exceeds the supply (US Food and Drug Administration [FDA], 1999; FDA, 2001).
The progress that's being made in the field of Xenotransplantation; the transplantation of an animal organ into a human host, is believed to be vital to the betterment of science and medicine and considered to not be hindered by fear of a few individuals. The number of patients requiring organ transplants has exceeded the number of available human donors. For this reason science is looking to xenotransplantation as a solution which may yield access to a plethora of available organs. In nature, …show more content…
Moreover, recent evidence has suggested that transplantation of cells and tissues may be therapeutic for certain diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders and diabetes, where, again human materials are not usually available. Although the potential benefits are substantial, the use of xenotransplantation raises concerns regarding the potential infection of recipients with both recognized and unrecognized infectious agents and the possible subsequent transmission to their close contacts and into the general human population. Of public health concern is the potential for cross-species infection by retroviruses, which may be latent and lead to disease years after infection. Moreover, new infectious agents may not be readily identifiable with current techniques (US Food and Drug Administration [FDA], 1999; FDA,
The progress that's being made in the field of Xenotransplantation; the transplantation of an animal organ into a human host, is believed to be vital to the betterment of science and medicine and considered to not be hindered by fear of a few individuals. The number of patients requiring organ transplants has exceeded the number of available human donors. For this reason science is looking to xenotransplantation as a solution which may yield access to a plethora of available organs. In nature, …show more content…
Moreover, recent evidence has suggested that transplantation of cells and tissues may be therapeutic for certain diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders and diabetes, where, again human materials are not usually available. Although the potential benefits are substantial, the use of xenotransplantation raises concerns regarding the potential infection of recipients with both recognized and unrecognized infectious agents and the possible subsequent transmission to their close contacts and into the general human population. Of public health concern is the potential for cross-species infection by retroviruses, which may be latent and lead to disease years after infection. Moreover, new infectious agents may not be readily identifiable with current techniques (US Food and Drug Administration [FDA], 1999; FDA,