Xenotransplantation

Xenotransplantation is the transfer of living cells, tissues, and/or organs from non-human animal species into humans, or between any two species. The concept was pioneered over a century ago and was considered controversial, barbaric and unethical; however the transplants were unsuccessful due to immunity and incompatibility issues between an animal organ donor and a human recipient. After decades of unsuccessful attempts, xenotransplantation took a decline; however in the early 1960’s the practice of organ transplantations resurfaced with several publically broadcasted cases. The question today remains the same as it did over a century ago, and the uneasiness and discomfort appears to lie in the minds of society. What do we know about Xenotransplantation and are we becoming prey to the sinister scientific experiments of non human and human fusions that have yet to become a seamless and ethical success?

Alexis Carrel is known as the founding father of experimental organ transplantation because of his work with vascular techniques. From 1904-1906, Carrel and fellow medical experts performed leg replantation in dogs, and developed the famous patch graft technique for widening narrow veins. Carrel, a Nobel Prize winner, carried out most of his experimental surgeries at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. In 1906, Mathieu Jaboulay transplanted kidneys from goats, sheep and monkeys into humans. In 1932 Harold Neuhof transplanted a lamb kidney into a patient with mercury poisoning; however the patient died 9 days later. In 1946, Vladimir P. Demikhov transplanted a heterotopic heart and lung; the animal survived for only 9 hours. In 1960 Xenotransplantation emerged when discoveries and research were conducted on immunity (L. Martinezalarcon et al, 2011).

Chimpanzees were thought to be the best nonhuman primate donor however, their availability decreased in the 1960’s as a result of increased viral and disease transmission. Concerns...