| en |
Xenotransplantation Ethics and Immunological Hurdles!
U Shankarkumar
Abstract
Exiting new technologies, such as cellular transplantation, organogenesis and Xenotransplantation are thought to be promising approaches for the treatment of human disease.1 Remarkable results have been achieves in the field of organ transplantation over the past 40 years, perhaps inconceivable in the pioneering days of the 1950's. Factors, which have contributed to these results, include better immuno-suppression, matching for HLA, better preservation, and resolution of most of the technical problems associated with organ transplantation. Scientists and transplant surgeons are considering the use of animals as a source of organs and tissues for transplantation into humans. This procedure is known as Xenotransplantation. This is not a new idea. In 1682 doctors have repaired the damaged skull of an injured Russian nobleman using bone from the skull of a dog. In 1905 a surgeon from France transplanted slices of rabbit kidney into a 16-yr. old boy suffering from end stage kidney failures, unfortunately patient died two weeks later.1
|
