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A xenograft (xenotransplant) is a transplant of tissue from a donor of one species to a recipient of another species. The terms heterograft and heterotransplant are also sometimes used, while the term homograft refers to a same-species transplant. An organ transplant is the transplantation of an organ (or part of one) from one body to another, for the purpose of replacing the recipients damaged or failing organ with a working one from the donor. ...
Biological tissue is a group of cells that perform a similar function. ...
In biology, a species is a kind of organism. ...
Cross-species transplants are more likely to produce host-vs-graft or graft-vs-host reactions than same-species transplants, because of the lack of antigenic similarity. Organisms which have been genetically engineered to reduce this lack of similarity have been produced but are not yet used to any significant degree in medical care. An iconic image of genetic engineering; this 1986 autoluminograph of a glowing transgenic tobacco plant bearing the luciferase gene of fireflys strikingly demonstrates the power and potential of genetic manipulation. ...
The first xenografts involving human beings were performed by Dr. Keith Reemtsma between 1963 and 1964, in which thirteen chimpanzee kidneys were transplanted into humans. Twelve of the thirteen recipients died within two months, while the thirteenth survived for nine months after the procedure. Species Pan troglodytes Pan paniscus Chimpanzee, often abbreviated to chimp, is the common name for two species in the genus Pan. ...
Kidneys viewed from behind with spine removed The kidneys are bean-shaped excretory organs in vertebrates. ...
The first cross-species heart transplant was performed in 1964, in which a 68-year-old man received a chimpanzee heart. He survived only two hours. Several other attempts have been made to transplant primate hearts into humans, with no patients surviving more than twenty-one days. The heart and lungs (from an older edition of Grays Anatomy) The heart (Latin cor) is a hollow, muscular organ that pumps blood through the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions. ...
While whole-organ xenografts have thus far been unsuccessful, less radical transplants have demonstrated great success. Hundreds of thousands of patients have received pig heart valves since 1975, when the procedure first became commercially available. Cow heart valves have likewise been used in humans since 1981. In biology, an organ (Latin organum: instrument, tool) is a group of tissues, which perform a specific function or group of functions. ...
Binomial name Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758 The domestic pig is usually given the scientific name Sus scrofa, though some authors call it , reserving for the wild boar. ...
Cows at a small farm in Maryland. ...
Xenografts have been a controversial procedure since they were first attempted. Many, including animal rights groups, strongly oppose killing animals in order to harvest their organs for human use. Legitimate medical concerns exist about possible disease transfer between animals and humans, such as the porcine endogenous retrovirus found in pig tissues. Religious beliefs, such as the Jewish and Muslim prohibition against eating pork, may also present concerns for some. A disease is any abnormal condition of the body or mind that causes discomfort, dysfunction, or distress to the person affected or those in contact with the person. ...
The word Jew (Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ...
A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ...
In general, however, the use of pig and cow tissue in humans has met with little resistance. The tissue is harvested from agricultural animals that were already being butchered, which is less offensive to most people than the idea of raising a primate solely as an organ donor. Similarly, while some individual Jews may not wish to receive a pig valve based on their personal beliefs, the rabbinical view is that the use of pig valves in humans is not a violation of kashrut law. In anatomy, the heart valves are valves in the heart that prevent blood from flowing the wrong way. ...
The circled U indicates that this can of tuna is certified kosher by the Union of Orthodox Congregations. ...
A continuing concern is that cows and pigs have different lifespans than humans and their tissues age at a different rate.
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