Jeff Getty AP/Wide World Photos
Did you know that pig livers saved the life of a man with deadly hepatitis?
What's the downside of cross-species transplants?
What are some ethical implications of these transplants?
Can We Transplant Organs From Animals?
Should Pigs and Primates Give Us Their Livers, Hearts, and Kidneys?
Feb. 13, 1996: In the two months since Jeff Getty was given cells from the bone marrow of a baboon, his health has improved. But the transplant apparently failed -- few if any baboon immune cells remain alive in his body. Want to read more about this last-ditch effort to help Getty beat AIDS?
Meanwhile, with the demand for organs outstripping the supply, scientists are looking at pigs and primates as potential sources of organs:
|
Jeff Getty AP/Wide World Photos |
Many cross-species transplants, known as xenotransplants must overcome the ferocious attack of a little-known part of the immune system. Is this even possible? Did you know that pig livers saved the life of a man with deadly hepatitis? What's the downside of cross-species transplants? What are some ethical implications of these transplants? |
Want to see the credits and factcheckers for this issue?
