Transgenic Xenotransplantation: 1997
Transgenic xenotransplantation.
That's a mouthful. But it's basically the injecting of human DNA into
animal embryos, which eventually grow into animals sporting human genes
(transgenic), and then killing the animals and transplanting their now
more "human-like" organs into people (xenotransplantation) who
desperately need a new liver or heart or kidney -- without which they
would die. Even the description is a mouthful.The hope is that in the future the human DNA blended throughout the animal's genome will fool the immune system so the transplanted animal organ will not be rejected by it's new human host. This is an amazing bioengineering process that is still in its infancy but may prove helpful to millions once all the ethics and science are worked out. At least that's what everyone was saying back in 1997 when I wrote this piece for Tufts Medicine.
When I was working in communications at Tufts University, I got deeply involved in writing about and publicizing biotechnology research for the veterinary school. But publishing in Tufts Medicine, the alumni magazine for the university's medical school, gave the topic even more prominence. For me, it worked out pretty well since the veterinary school in Grafton, Massachusetts, collaborated closely with the medical school in Boston on some of this research.
"But it's basically the injecting of human DNA into animal embryos, which eventually grow into animals sporting human genes (transgenic), and then killing the animals and transplanting their now more "human-like" organs into people (xenotransplantation) who desperately need a new liver or heart or kidney -- without which they would die."
Poor animals! Let us hope that animals on this planet never become sentient. For if they do, a terrible revenge will be brought upon humans. And nothing that the human race will be able to say or do will be able to justify or apologize what humans have done to other life forms on this planet!
Humans really are like a virus gone out of control. They've manipulated their environment, and other life forms living in it, they destroy the natural balance meant to preserve the environment. Do humans really deserve to live longer, or reach immortality?
What would happen if humans indeed found a way to stop death and dying, and kept multiplying at the same time? They would go from a virus making the rounds to an outright pandemic!
Posted by UX-admin on March 09, 2008 at 05:53 PM JST #
UX-admin ... there's no question that in this society (American, I mean) animals are property. Sometimes they are kept as pets. Sometimes they are managed in the wild. Sometimes they are used as food and/or medical products. It's not necessarily nice, but it's reality. To offset this, we have a large number of humane laws at the federal and state level to try to protect (humane treatment, basically) as many animals in as many situations as possible. Some organizations advocate for animal "rights" but I was never part of that movement. Instead, I was part of the animal "protection" community because I felt they were more rational and actually worked within the system to improve the situation. Just my view. Not an easy situation, though, that's for sure.
Posted by Jim Grisanzio on March 10, 2008 at 06:53 AM JST #
I like to know whether the organ can grow as normal as human organ. I mean, since animals has different life span than human, how long can the organ function in human body? Does the transgenic animal being modified not only to avoid organ rejection,but also elongate the life span of the organ?
Posted by Curious-kid on March 11, 2008 at 12:40 PM JST #
Curious-kid ... good questions. From what I've read on the subject and from the researchers I used to know, I think the animal organ can not live for very long in the human host. I'm sure the field has advanced a great deal since I wrote that article, but back then scientists were experimenting with just a few genes and that was very difficult. There are many factors (and many genes) involved. The science on this is far from being worked out. And, of course, the ethics are complicated as well.
Posted by Jim Grisanzio on March 14, 2008 at 03:34 AM JST #