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Animal sourcing for replacement of Human organ functionality
Animal sourcing for replacement of Human organ functionality
Initiative at a glance
Xenotransplantation refers to the process of transplanting living cells, tissues, or organs from one biological species to another. In the context of medical treatments for humans, this typically involves using animal donors, such as pigs, rabbits, rats etc. as a source for the transplanted organ or tissue. Sometimes these species are preliminary genetically augmented. This approach is mainly considered when there is a shortage of human organs for transplantation, a situation that is currently faced by many countries around the world. However, it may also be used for situation when a organ replacement is not feasible due to incomparable size of a donor and a recipient.
The most common potential sources of xenotransplant organs are genetically engineered pigs because their organs are similar in size and function to human organs. Pigs are also more ethically acceptable to many people and easier to breed for organ donation than primates. Scientists have been modifying pigs through genetic engineering to make their tissues more compatible with the human immune system, which naturally tends to reject alien tissues and especially those from animals.
Xenotransplantation offers the hope of providing an alternative source of organs that could save many lives, particularly for patients who would not survive the long waiting lists for human donor organs. However, there are significant challenges and concerns associated with xenotransplantation, which include:
Immune Rejection
The human immune system recognizes the transplanted animal organ or tissue as foreign and may reject it, even more vigorously than it would with a human organ. This requires the use of potent immunosuppressive drugs to prevent rejection. Unfortunately, these medicine lead to severe side-effects.
Zoonotic Diseases
There is a risk of transmitting animal diseases to humans, which could have unknown consequences for the recipient and wider public health. One concern is the potential for porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs), which are integrated into the animal genome, to infect human cells.
Ethical Concerns
Ethical debates arise about the appropriateness of using animals as sources of organs for humans, the welfare of donor animals, and the implications of creating genetically modified animals for this purpose. Given that humans consume animal meat throughout the entire history of their existence makes this argument look more hypocritical.
Physiological Differences
Even with genetic modification, there may be physiological differences between the animal organs and human organs that could lead to functional issues after transplantation. Therefore, sometimes it is only certain cells that are extracted from a donor instead.
Xenotransplantation research is ongoing, and while there have been some successful cases of tissue transplantation (such as porcine heart valves being used in humans for many years), the transplantation of whole organs is still largely experimental. The field continues to evolve, with careful attention to its medical, ethical, and social implications.
Diabetes treatment
The idea is to use animal organs, particularly, pig or rabbit islets (clusters of ß-cells in the pancreas that produce insulin), to replace or supplement the function of the damaged human pancreas in individuals with diabetes. Xenotransplantation of cleaned tissue (ß-cells) could offer a more sustainable and long-term solution for individuals with diabetes, potentially reducing or eliminating the need for frequent (several times a day) insulin injections and consecutive complications from the disease.
The inititative of the Bio-Tech Ventures is a result of many years of research and their practical implementation is that the pancreas can be removed from newborn rabbits, processed in a special patented manner, leaving only the ß-cells responsible for production of insulin, and then administered to patients suffering from type I and type II diabetes.
An injection (xenotransplantation) is made into the abdominal muscle, where the cells are washed with blood and begin to work as usual, producing insulin, until their natural depletion (about 9 months). As a result, even those patients whose own cells have died (type I diabetes) or have worn out due to obesity or sugar abuse (type II), begin to receive insulin from rabbit cells automatically, thereby reducing the need for injections (up to a complete drop of the insulin therapy).
The recommended frequency of the procedure is twice a year. The peak efficiency is reached in appx. 3 months and lasts for appx. 6 months after. A qualified surgeon is required for injection, since it is important not to make a mistake and not inject into the peritoneum, piercing the muscle through, or the opposite - under the skin. If an error occurs, the material will be lost, local rejection and infection may occur, the treatment of which will require several days, but no serious harm to a patient. In general, the injection procedure is performed on an ambulatory (e.g. outpatient) basis. The Diabetic is then observed for 1-2 hours and can be sent home if no compilation detected. A slight increase in temperature is allowed for several days, as well as a small hematoma at the injection point due to use of a rather thick needle - it also depends on the skill of the surgeon.
It's important to note that while proposed xenotransplantation shows strong success evidence and promise, it is still in its experimental stage, and more research is needed to address technical, ethical, and safety concerns before it can become a widely available and accepted treatment for diabetes.
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