PROSPECTS FOR XENOTRANSPLANTATION OF THE LIVER

Because of the tremendous success of clinical transplantation of the l iver and other organs in the last three decades, the demand for organs for transplantation has risen sharply and there is now a substantial shortage. The utilization of organs from other species, xenotransplant ation, is increasingly viewed as a potential solution to this problem. The major limitation to xenotransplantation is the formidable immunol ogical barriers that prevent the successful transplantation of non-hum an organs into human recipients. Here we review current knowledge abou t the immunology of xenotransplantation and the limited clinical and e xperimental experience in xenotransplantation of the liver.