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Xenotransplantation

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Contemporary Liver Transplantation

Part of the book series: Organ and Tissue Transplantation ((OTT))

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Abstract

Transplantation is a major clinical means to replace damaged or failed human organs to improve or save a patient’s life. The demand for organ transplantation has increased dramatically worldwide. However, the current dilemma is that the more that human organ transplants are performed, the less transplantable organs are available; the shortage of human organs is the major limiting factor for benefiting patients with organ dysfunction. Each year, thousands of patients are either removed from the waiting list due to death or become too sick for treatment. To solve the problem of organ shortages, several possible approaches have been considered and are under intensive investigations. These include artificial organs, tissue-engineered organs, and xenotransplantation (cross-species transplantation). While the former two hold hopes for the future, but with much higher social costs, xenotransplantation appears to have the potential to meet the current need of transplantation by providing adequate transplantable organs. However, several important issues, including immunological rejections, physiological incompatibilities, and safety, must be addressed before this approach can be a clinical reality. This review summarizes recent progress made in this field, the hurdles to be overcome, and the possible solutions for them.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China

    Zhengyu Wei

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  1. Zhengyu Wei
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Correspondence to Zhengyu Wei .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Nicoletti Family Professor of Transplant Surgery, Director, Jefferson Transplant Institute, Director, Division of Transplantation, Surgical Director, Kimmel Cancer Center – Jefferson Liver Tumor Center, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Cataldo Doria

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Wei, Z. (2017). Xenotransplantation. In: Doria, C. (eds) Contemporary Liver Transplantation. Organ and Tissue Transplantation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07209-8_24

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07209-8_24

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-07208-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-07209-8

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

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