Organ Transplantation - Why Animals Are Not a Good Choice

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There are simply not enough human organs from those who die to transplant those who need them. The other reason his demand is up part because proficiency in doing transplants, just the surgical skills are improved. And why is the hall effort focesed on pigs? Well, some listeners will remember, way back in the 19 eighties, we saw efforts made with baboons,. There have been efforts made with monkeys, but they are too small. Also, pigs are relatively easy to handle and breed.

Earlier this month, in a medical first, surgeons from the University of Maryland transplanted a genetically altered pig heart into a living person. Doctors believed it was their only chance to save the life of David Bennett, a 57-year-old patient who was considered too ill for a human organ replacement. With hundreds of thousands of people worldwide in need of new organs, are animals set to be the future of transplantation? Ian Sample talks to bioethicist Prof Arthur Caplan about how the operation was made possible, and what could be next. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod