Hour One: Pig Clones, Pig Virus, and Xenotransplantation
 

We’ll examine the controversy over xenotransplantation--the transplantation of organ across species’ lines--in this hour. Each year, thousands of people die waiting for organ transplants and millions more undergo insulin therapy for diabetes. Proponents of xenotransplantation say using cells and organs from suitable animals (such as pigs) could dramatically reduce the need for human organs, and help the millions of people suffering with diabetes. Toward that end, two groups of researchers, (one at PPL Therapeutics in Blacksburg, Virginia, and one at the National Institute of Animal Industry in Japan and Rockefeller University in New York) report they have successfully cloned pigs, a major breakthrough in insuring a supply of pig cells and organs for transplantation.

Xena, the cloned piglet  (Image courtesy of Science)

Does this mean human organ donors will be a thing of the past? Not quite yet. This week researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, report that a pig virus called PERV (porcine endogenous retrovirus) can infect human cells in immune compromised hosts. While the virus is not believed to be pathogenic, the researchers say the finding sounds a cautionary note—and raises significant concerns about the safety of xenotransplantation.  Call in - our number is 1-800-989-8255.

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Guests:
Daniel Salomon
Associate Professor
Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine
The Scripps Research Institute
La Jolla, California

Anthony Perry
Molecular Embryologist
Rockefeller University
New York, New York

Dr. David Cooper
Author, "Xeno: The Promise of Transplanting Animal Organs into Humans" (Oxford University Press, 2000)
Associate Professor of Surgery,  Research Immunologist
Harvard Medical School
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Jonathan Allan
Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research
San Antonio, Texas

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Related Links:
Centers for Disease Control--Information on Xenotransplantation
Campaign for Responsible Transplantation