Beyond Science Fiction: Xenotransplantation Becoming Clinical Reality

The growing demand for organ transplants has led to a shortage of available organs. This shortage has contributed to crises such as illegal organ trafficking and transplant tourism. However, recent progress in xenotransplantation may help alleviate this shortage. With current successes transplanting pig organs into non-human primate models and deceased patients, companies are spending a great deal of money on establishing pathogen-free pig facilities and gaining FDA approval to move toward clinical trials. Given this progress, it is worthwhile to examine the current state of xenotransplantation and ongoing approaches to modifying porcine organs to make them safe for clinical use in humans.