XENOTRANSPLANTATION

Xenotransplantation means transplantation of organs and tissues from a nimals to human beings, Today, with use of new and more conventional i mmunosuppressive substances, it is possible to achieve good long-term survival of organs and cells transplanted between closely related spec ies; for example, between baboon and man, However, large-scale treatme nt by xenotransplantation is still not possible because a transplantat ion between species such as pig and man will still not be successful, Nevertheless, many researchers have tried to solve these problems, and it is hoped that transgenic animals in combination with newer immunos uppressive treatment will make xenotransplantation a realistic possibi lity. The time horizon for clinically successful xenotransplantation w ith pig organs is unknown at the moment, Nevertheless, many investigat ors think that the breakthrough will occur in a few years time.