Current progress in xenotransplantation and organ bioengineering

Abstract

Organ transplantation represents a unique method of treatment to cure people with end-stage organ failure. Since the first successful organ transplant in 1954, the field of transplantation has made great strides forward. However, despite the ability to transform and save lives, transplant surgery is still faced with a fundamental problem the number of people requiring organ transplants is simply higher than the number of organs available. To put this in stark perspective, because of this critical organ shortage 18 people every day in the United States alone die on a transplant waiting list (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, http://organdonor.gov/about/data.html). To address this problem, attempts have been made to increase the organ supply through xenotransplantation and more recently, bioengineering. Here we trace the development of both fields, discuss their current status and highlight limitations going forward. Ultimately, lessons learned in each field may prove widely applicable and lead to the successful development of xenografts, bioengineered constructs, and bioengineered xeno-organs, thereby increasing the supply of organs for transplantation.

Acceptance of organ xenotransplantation among Latin American immigrants resident in the United States

“…Xenotransplantation of solid organs was readopted in the last decade of 20th century due to two fundamental reasons. Firstly, the extraordinary increase in the demand for organs, and secondly, the new advances in the fields of immunology and genetics, with the development of transgenic technology . Without yet becoming a real clinical option, organ xenotransplantation has overcome many barriers, and in the case of vital organs, it could provide a useful bridge until a human organ can be found .…”

Unlocking the Potential of Purinergic Signaling in Transplantation

“…The use of xenotransplantation in clinical practice has the potential to overcome the shortfall of available human organs and tissues for patients that urgently require transplantation . In the United States alone, 18 potential transplant recipients die every day due to a lack of critical organs (reviewed by Michel et al ). The pig is often cited as the most suitable source of xenografts (reviewed by Ekser et al ).…”

“…The pig is often cited as the most suitable source of xenografts (reviewed by Ekser et al ). Research into the genetic manipulation of pigs to reduce xenograft rejection has focused largely on removing the Gal antigen from the surface of xenotransplant cells . Increasing the expression of human CD39 and CD73 is also considered a potential strategy to prevent xenograft rejection by increasing the hydrolysis of ATP to adenosine and promoting immunosuppression .…”

Sequence alignment analysis of proteins involved in platelet-endothelial cell interaction identifies molecular incompatibilities between Homo sapiens and Sus scrofa

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] AHXR is a complex, multifactorial and muticellular scenario, which is generally linked to the action of anti-donor antibodies, [8][9][10][11][12] complement, [13][14][15] and recipient immune components, such as platelets, [16][17][18][19] T cells, [20] natural killer (NK) cells, [21,22] macrophages, [23,24] and neutrophils. [4,25] This biological process is mainly characterized by the development of thrombotic microangiopathy, with endothelial cell (EC) swelling, apoptosis, and necrosis.…”