The organ transplantation - a challenge for biotechnology

The use of animals as a source of organs and tissues for xenotransplantation can overcome the growing shortage of human organ donors. However, xenoreactive antibodies present in humans directed against swine Gal antigen on the surface of xenograft donor cells leads to the complement activation and immediate xenograft rejection as a consequence of hyperacute immunological reaction. The graft of genetically modified organ of a swine would be tolerated with simultaneous administration of medicines decreasing other less severe immunological reactions. This review summarizes the clinical history and rationale for xenotransplantation, recent progress in understanding the physiologic, immunologic, and infectious obstacles to xenotransplantation and some of the strategies being pursued to overcome these dificulties.