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Science
Friday > Archives
> 1997
> September
> September 19, 1997
Xenotransplants:
Using animal tissue to replace human tissue.
Tens of thousands of Americans are listed as "good prospects" for organ transplants each year. But due to shortages of donor organs, less than half recieve the tranplants they need. One possibility for dealing with the shortage of human organs is to turn to animals as a source.
Experimentation with transplanting tissues from animals into humans, a process called xenotransplantation, has been going on ever since a doctor attempted to repair the skull of an injured Russian nobleman with pieces of dog skull in the late 1600's. More recently, attempts have been made to transplant kidneys, hearts, livers, and other tissues into humans - but with very limited success. The human body's immune system, ever vigilant against foreign invaders, has been quite efficient at rejecting transplanted tissues.
New advances in biotechnology have made it possible to fool the immune response, however, either by disguising the animal organs to make them look human, or through methods that encourage the immune system to be more accepting of outsiders. These advances raise the very real possibility that in the not too distant future, animals may be able to help treat human problems ranging from heart failure to Parkinson's disease. But at the same time, some groups feel that xenotransplants are not the way to go - pointing to the possibility that animal diseases might cross over into the human population, and to the ethical issues surrounding using animals for human gain.
Join guest host Richard Harris as he takes a look at the status of xenotransplantation, on this hour of Science Friday.
Guests:
Ole Isacson
Associate Professor, Neuroscience
Harvard Medical School
Director, Neuroregeneration Laboratory
McLean Hospital
Boston, MA
David Sachs
Director, Transplantation Biology Research Center
Massachusetts General Hospital
Paul S. Russel/Warner Lambert Professor of Surgery
Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA
Books/Articles Discussed:
Related Links:
Nature Medicine's Xenotransplantation Issue
SciFri's February 2, 1996 show on Xenotransplants
The American Anti-vivisection Society's stand on Xenotransplants
"Organ Transplants from Animals: Examining the Possibilities" from the FDA
An FDA Factsheet on Xenotransplantation
A look at the
issues from the Whyfiles
A Call for Restraint
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