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XenotransplantationXenotransplantation, from the Greek "xénos" (foreigner, guest, stranger), is the transplantation of an organ, tissue, or cell from one species into another. Humans have attempted such procedures for more than 300 years with various animals' blood, tissue, and organs.
Pigs are the main focus of modern xenotransplantation research, which seeks to replace failing human organs with animal parts. The animals are easy to raise and breed, produce large litters, and are similar in size to humans. Simpler forms of xenotransplantation—such as using pig heart valves or corneas—have been a part of clinical practice for decades, but the human immune system typically has rejected whole animal organs within hours of transplant surgery. Whole organ transplants have remained a major medical goal because of massive demand: More than 100,000 patients are typically on America's transplant waitlist.
Recent gene-editing breakthroughs have enabled scientists to modify the DNA of pig organs, so they appear less foreign to the human immune system. Since 2022, several patients have functioned with gene-edited pig kidneys and hearts for months before the organs needed to be removed or the patient died.Explore Xenotransplantation
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Global xenotransplantation market may already be valued at more than $13BWith more than 100,000 people on the waiting list for organs at any given time in the United States, there's a known demand for organ transplants. Some estimates put the value of the global xenotransplantation market above $13B in recent years—and project the market to continue growing. National Institutes of HealthSee different pig-to-human xenotransplantation possibilitiesXenotransplantation can include the insertion of any organ, tissue, cells or fluids from any nonhuman animal into a human. This US Food and Drug Administration graphic about pig-to-human applications shows different possibilities, including the exploration of using pig pancreatic cells for treating diabetes. US Food & Drug AdministrationCross-species transplantation has been attempted in medicine for more than 300 yearsEarly reported xenotransplantation attempts included 17th century efforts in France to transfuse blood from animals into humans. The poor results prompted France to issue a xenotransplantation ban. In the 19th century, researchers tried animal-to-human skin grafts from species including sheep, rabbits, dogs, cats, rats, chickens, and pigeons. National Institutes of HealthPig-to-human transplants have raised concerns about pig living conditionsPigs are the current first choice for xenotransplantation procedures, yet such work gives some researchers and animal welfare advocates pause. Concerns include that pigs would have a poor quality of life since the animals must live in a strictly-controlled, hyper-clean environment to avoid risky pathogens. National Institutes of Health
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