Fig. 1. The President and chief scientific officer of Revivicor, David Ayares, holds a piglet raised for research purposes. (Stein)
Fig. 2. This image shows Mr. Larence Faucette recovering from a successful xenotransplantation. Mr. Faucette received a heart from a genetically modified pig. (Kotz).
Fig. 4. The image displays the possible organs a pig can donate to a human. (FDA).
Fig. 1. The President and chief scientific officer of Revivicor, David Ayares, holds a piglet raised for research purposes. (Stein)
XENOTRANSPLANTATION, USING ANIMAL ORGANS TO SAVE HUMAN LIVES
The demand for organ transplantation increases every year, and many people remain on the waiting list for months or years; others are not as fortunate. The increased demand for organs and technological improvements allowed scientists to improve a procedure called xenotransplantation in hopes of saving more lives; however, ethical issues surround this procedure.
Xenotransplantation is a medical procedure involving transplanting cells, fluids, and organs from non-human species to humans. During the 1960s, physician Keith Reemtsma and surgeon Tom Starzl transplanted kidneys from primates to humans. Unfortunately, the immune systems of many patients started to reject the kidney, and other patients became infected with HIV. Furthermore, some patients also experienced organ failure because the kidneys of the primates were not able to perform the function of a human kidney successfully.
Recently, the University of Maryland School of Medicine performed xenotransplantation on a Lawrence Faucette with heart failure by transplanting a heart from a genetically modified pig. After the surgery, Mr. Faucette states, "At least now I have hope, and I have a chance" (Kotz). However, xenotransplantation raises concerns regarding animal welfare due to scientists genetically modifying and sacrificing pigs. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that patients receiving organs from pigs have the possibility of contracting the porcine endogenous virus, where scientists do not know the mechanisms and the effects the virus can have on the patient.
Work Cited
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“Xenotransplantation.” National Kidney Foundation, 9 Nov. 2023, www.kidney.org/atoz/content/xenotransplantation.
Stein, Rob. “How Genetically Modified Pigs Could End the Shortage of Organs for Transplants.” NPR, NPR, 29 Feb. 2024, www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/02/29/1231699834/genetically-modified-pigs-organs-human-transplant.
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