Biologycalendar_todayLast updated: Apr 2026
What is Xenotransplantation?
/ˌziːnəʊtrænsplɑːnˈteɪʃən/
Xenotransplantation is the transplantation of living cells, tissues, or organs from one species to another — particularly from genetically modified pigs to humans, as a solution to the global organ donor shortage.
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Everyday Example
Rather than waiting years for a human donor heart, a patient in the future might receive a heart from a pig whose genes have been edited to make it compatible with the human immune system.
publicReal-World Application
“In 2022, surgeons at the University of Maryland transplanted a genetically modified pig heart into a human patient — the first such surgery. The patient lived for 60 days.”
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Did you know?
The idea of animal-to-human transplants dates to 1667, when Jean-Baptiste Denis attempted a blood transfusion from a lamb to a human. Modern attempts using gene editing began in the 1990s.
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Key Insight
The main challenge is hyperacute rejection — the human immune system destroys foreign tissue within minutes. Gene editing tools like CRISPR now allow scientists to remove or add dozens of pig genes to reduce this response.
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