Advances in preclinical cardiac xenotransplantation

Does exposure to swine leukocyte antigens after pig‐to‐nonhuman primate xenotransplantation provoke antibodies that cross‐react with human leukocyte antigens?

“…Strategies are now available that can prevent hyperacute rejection and median survival times of up to 76 days are possible in pig‐to‐nonhuman primate models of kidney and heart transplantation [2]. The longest graft survival in a pig‐to‐baboon heart transplantation model of 139 days has recently been reported by Kuwaki et al [3].…”

An Echocardiographic Left Ventricular Wall Area Index for Functional Detection of Myocardial Injury in Hemodynamically Unloaded Hearts

“…The patterns estimated using the nonlinear statistical approach were, for LVWAI, increasing/decreasing (8), decreasing/decreasing (5), decreasing (3), increasing/increasing (1), and decreasing/increasing (1). For cTnT, the patterns were decreasing/increasing (11), increasing (4), increasing/decreasing (2), and decreasing/decreasing (1). The sign test applied to the late slopes (16/18 negative for LVWAI and 15/18 positive for cTnT) yielded two-sided P values of .001 and .007, respectively).…”

“…The survival times of grafts in experimental heterotopic cardiac xenotransplantations have been markedly extended with the use of genetically modified donor swine 1–3 . However, diagnostic assessment of graft rejection has been limited to open abdominal epicardial biopsy, an invasive approach, 4 or intramyocardial electrocardiography, 4,5 both of which add expense and lengthen the transplant procedure.…”