Xenotransplantation: An alternate solution to organ shortages?

Every year, 50,000 are in need of an organ transplant, yet only 20,000 will receive one. The remaining 30,000 are left without an organ. What happens to the 30,000 people who do not receive an organ? Nothing. There is no other supply to human organs and many people who have organs that can be donated are reluctant to donate them. The truth is, the demand of organs is significantly higher than the supply. There is one way the organ shortage problem can be solved. Xenotransplantation, the transplant of organs from an animal to a human, should be further researched, as it is a viable solution to organ shortages. Although currently it has many issues, there are many ways those issues could be eliminated by researching ways to counteract those problems. Xenotransplantation is a very risky operation. There are many problems that revolve around it. A direct definition of xenotransplantation is the transplantation of any living cells, tissues, or organs from one species (the donor) to another species (the host). The donor could be any animal from a monkey to a pig. The host is a human, but for now, monkeys and the like are used to run tests as hosts. Pigs are the ideal animals for donors because they are very anatomically related to humans. Other animals, such as chimpanzees and monkeys, could also be used, but they breed too slow and will not be a successful source of organs. Pigs, which Chou 2

reproduce

at

very

high

rate,

are

the

optimal

animals

for

xenotransplantation. They can also be bred to be as close to humans as possible. A pigs size can be directly proportionate to a human; its organs can fit a 100-pound child to a 300-pound adult. Pigs are the perfect alternative, their digestive, respiratory, pulmonary, and cardiovascular structures parallel those of humans (Slasman). There are many problems surrounding xenotransplantation. Human to human organ transplantations already have many issues, such as the body rejecting the organ. The simplest rejection is blood. Many people decades ago died from blood transfusions because the donors blood did not match the recipient's blood, therefore causing a mass blood clot and causing the patient to die. The same problem arises in the transplantation of organs. When an organ is introduced into a human body, the body recognizes it as foreign, and attacks it. The human immune system is programmed to destroy anything that it does not recognize such as bacteria and viruses. When something large, such as an organ, is introduced into the body, the body retaliates by attacking it relentlessly. This is called acute rejection. The bodys immune system recognizes it as foreign and then starts to destroy it. When an animal from another species is introduced into the body, the body immediately mounts an attack so fierce that the organ dies within minutes. The immune system starts eating into the tissue of the organ and it also forms clots to prevent blood from flowing to that area. The body hastily destroys it but in the process, the blood clotting also kills the body. The most effective way to counteract this problem is to use immuno-suppresive drugs

to prevent the body from attacking the organ. The problem with using immuno-suppressive drugs is that it weakens the bodys immune system entirely, making the body also prone to deadly viruses and bacteria. A human under the use of heavy immunoChou 3 suppresive drugs could easily die from something as simple as the common flu. There is a way to prevent the body from rejecting the organ. The immune system attacks an organ because its surface molecules are different. Megan Skyes and her research team may have found the solution to organ rejection. She proposes the idea of mixed chimerism. Mixed chimerism is where the bone marrow of the donor is also introduced into the recipients body, thus creating a new immune system that is part donor, part recipient. The bone marrow produces B-lymphocytes, which produce antibodies that stick onto the foreign object. Introducing live bone marrow from the donor would also change the B-lymphocytes that are created, thus creating a brand new immune system. This would trick the body into thinking that the organs from the donor are actually part of the body and will not attack them. John Iacomini, a researcher at Transplantation Biology Research Center in Massachusetts is also using a similar strategy to counteract the rejection of organs. He is also the bone marrow approach but he plans to alter the genetic makeup of the bone marrow to partially match the bone marrow of the recipients body. If the genes are manipulated to closer match the genes of humans, mixed chimerism is more likely to be achieved. According to Iacomini, the [Transplantation Biology Research Center] laboratory of

Christian LeGuern (Ph.D.) is the only place that has achieved tolerance in pigs using gene therapy (Iacomini). This means that tolerance of pig organs in humans is within the range of human research. Another problem that arises is that the organ that is donated might not function exactly the way that human organs do. Many organs in the body produce crucial molecules that are vital to humans. Pigs, on the other hand, produce different molecules because pigs function differently from humans. Another problem that may occur is an exogenous infection. An exogenous infection is simply cross-species infections. It is when a Chou 3 disease which normally only occurs in one species crosses over to another species and infects that species. There are two ways to counter this issue. The first is to raise the donor in a sterilized, bacteria free environment to prevent any bacteria and viruses from growing. The other way is to eliminate the disease from the donor completely.

Fig. 1. A cartoon humors xenotrasnplantation by personifying pigs and making them seem like they donate organs the same way humans do. (Tunnacliffe) There are many positive effects of xenotransplantation. Most porcine organs function the same way they do in pigs than they do in humans. This solves the problem of the organ not functioning properly. Many small parts, such as cells and heart valves, have already been placed into humans. Pigs also breed at a much faster rate than humans, which also means that their organs can be harvested at a higher rate. Porcine islet transportation is a possible cure for Chou 4 human diabetes. Porcine islet transportation is where islet cells, cells that produce insulin, are transferred into a human. For years, pig insulin, which

differs from human insulin by only one amino acid, was used as a standard treatment for patients with type 1 diabetes (Xenotransplantation). If pig insulin works for patients with diabetes, then transferring the islet cell directly solves the problem of insulin shortages. There are many ethical and moral issues regarding

xenotransplantation. Many people argue that killing animals for their organs is largely unethical. There is nothing wrong with xenotransplantation. If killing animals for their organs is so unethical, then how come stem cell research has been passed without too many problems? Is killing off animals any worse than killing off human embryos? Another thing to think about is do we really value pigs that much? People may defend pigs saying that pigs also feel and have emotions like humans, and killing them is unethical. Ninety million pigs are killed for food every year in the US only. 30,000 is a small fraction compared to the 90 million killed for food. It is apparent that those who do not object to the killing of pigs for [food, insulin, and heart valves] should surely have no objection to killing pigs to provide whole organs (Cooper). Animals raised for their organs are subjected to the sensory deprivation of a sterile laboratory and denied all social interaction with members of their own species. When it becomes time for them to "donate" their organs, they are killed. (Animal). This argument is invalid because this is exactly the same process used with the ninety million pigs that are killed each year for food. The only difference

is that they live in dirty pens instead of a sterile laboratory, and they donate their meat instead of organs. Also according to him or her, Chou 5 Sin Nombre, a fatal Hantavirus that attacks the lungs, is carried by rodents and has twice broken out during the 1990s in the southwest United States. In Australia, two dangerous new viruses have affected humansLyssavirus, from two species of bat, and Morbilli, a relative of the measles virus that killed 14 horses and two people. (Animal) The article talks about viruses that could be carried over to humans. But look closely, rodents carry Sin nombre and bats carry Lyssavirus. Does this relate to xenotransplantation at all? No, unless the patient is planning to get a transplant from a mouse or bat. The Hantavirus has only broken out twice and the Lyssavirus killed fourteen horses and two people. The fact that it killed fourteen horses is not relevant to xenotransplantation and thousands of people die every year from organ shortages compared to the two people that died from Lyssavirus. He or she also argues the history of xenotransplantation makes its future uncertain. Stem cell research appears to be a promising new starting point and is set to become the hope for the future in this area (Animal). He or she states that stem cell research is a more viable solution to organ shortages. From the above statement, it is implied that this person regards human embryos as insignificant, and looking at the statement in a more critical analysis, it almost seems as if she values animals more than humans.

Xenotransplantation has many pros and cons from saving lives to organ rejection. Further research can solve the problems that exist with xenotransplantation. Xenotransplantation is a solution to the worlds organ shortages and if further researched, will be successful in saving thousands of lives every year. Xenotransplantation can save lives, and more importantly, it can offer hope to those in need.

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Xenotransplantation Can Solve the Organ Shortage; Xenotransplantation Can Solve the Organ Shortage. "Xenotransplantation: Pig Islets & Transplants." Leading the World to a Cure for Diabetes: Diabetes Research Institute. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. <http://www.diabetesresearch.org/page.aspx?pid=713>.