there was even a single way to save your family member from dying because they need a new organ, would you, do it? Xenotransplantation is a hidden epidemic and a touchy situation. Xenotransplantation could help extend lives long enough to get a human organ in hand and balance the supply and demand for human organs. It reduces the opportunities for organ donations on the black market. It also opens the opportunity for new areas of research. Xenotransplantation will not only extend lives, but it will help balance the supply and demand for human organ donations. Thousands of people die every year because they are forced to wait on the transplant list and don’t live long enough to get the organ they need. The temporary use of animal organs can extend a person’s life long enough for them to get the organ they need and get a transplant. There is also such a high demand for organs and not enough to satisfy that demand. The use of animal organs can be used as a viable replacement to extend lives long term. The process of xenotransplantation is when a whole organ or tissue is transferred surgically from one living species to …show more content…
People from third-world countries sell their organs to people who then barter with people who have enough money to buy those organs for whatever use they need it for. The problem has become a lot worse over the years due to exploitation. The agents only pay a fraction of the actual money they give to the donors. Many underground transplants our performed by organized crime organizations that arrange the removal and transplantation of the organs which makes the black market even more of a threat. The worst part of the black-market deals is that there is a huge risk of getting an infected or disease ridden organ which can cause more problems as far as death. The use of animal organs will minimize or even prevent all the use of black market
Thesis: I will explain the history of organ transplants, starting with ancient ideas before modern science until the 21st century.
An example of someone who is in favor of selling organs would be a twenty one year old named Alexander Berger. Alexander Berger bravely decided to donate one of his organs, his kidney, to an individual he has never met before. While Alexander Berger went through this process, he claims that he spent a total of three days in the hospital and took a couple weeks off from his work to recover. This example of Alexander Berger is very essential to this topic because it gives the viewpoint of the donor and why this black market should be legal. Berger believes that an individual, specifically a donor, who has taken the time to go through this organ transplantation process should receive some sort of payment is necessary. Berger claims that the
Many ailments can be cured or at least ameliorated by the replacement of an organ and the progression of medical science has increasingly allowed more types of organs to be successfully transplanted. Doctors’ ability to transplant is thwarted, however, by the disproportionate number of patients in need of such life-saving treatment relative to the number of donor organs available. Due to a variety of circumstances there just aren’t enough spare organs to go around. In light of this situation and the ever increasing number of people who die every year while waiting for an organ donor, xenotransplantation has become a very attractive alternative to human transplants, for obvious reasons. While there may be a shortage of human organ donors, we can easily envision animals being bred for their organs and providing an almost unlimited supply.
The medical procedure of Xenotransplantation, (transplanting animal organs into humans) has been happening for many years, this medical practice was proceeding mixed results and mixed views regarding the procedure. In the year 1984, a baby girl whom was named Baby Fae by medical staff, became known world wide for the medical procedure she endured. Baby Fae had a potentially fatal heart problem, she was suffering from Hypoplastic left heart syndrome which is a fatal disease if not treated by surgery, (Time Magazine, 1984). The only way to save her was to replace her failing heart with a healthy seven month old baboon heart. The medical professionals that were working on Baby Fae were excited to be able to perform this Xenotransplantation on the infant. After the procedure Baby Fae was acting like any normal healthy infant would. But unfortunately, the replacement heart surgery wasn’t a true success story as the medical staff had hoped. Baby Fae died 20 days after her surgery because her tiny body rejected the baboons heart, which then went on to cause other fatal damage such as kidney...
In the world we’re living in today, many kinds of diseases, infections, and viruses are continuously arising. At the same time, scientists are untiringly researching about how we can prevent or cure them. Unfortunately, millions of people have been affected and sick that some of their organs fail that results to the need of organ replacement. Many people have died because no organs have been available to provide the need of organ replacements. The shortage of organ replacement has been a bioethical issue since then and it seems like no solution has been available. However, due to the studies scientists have been conducting, they found the most possible answer to this issue – Xenotransplantation. It hasn’t become very popular all over the
I believe it is important to first explain what this procedure is about and how safe it is, keeping in mind the fact that four thousand people die each year waiting for human organs. So, what is Xenotransplantation? Xeno means strange or foreign. The term is used to describe a transplant between any two species of animals, including humans. Xenotransplantation usually refers to a procedure in which an organ, such as kidney or liver or live cells (such as brain cells) from a healthy animal are grafted or transplanted into a human patient. The transplanted materials are called xenotransplants or xenografts. Plus, there are certain kinds of xenotransplants which are not true transplants at all, because the animal organ or cells stay outside the patient’s body. These are called extra-corporeal (or outside the bod...
In America, there are currently 122,198 candidates on the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) waiting list (“OPTN”). Due to a lack of available organ donors, around 18 waiting list candidates will die every day (“OPTN”). This has prompted the development and investigation of xenotransplantation—the transplantation of animal tissue and organs to potential human candidates. Currently in its early phases of development and study, xenotransplantation is controversial for its high failure rate, with only a few cases successful. This is attributed to the human immune system rejecting those animal donated organs, thereby potentially causing immediate death to the human candidate. On the one hand, pre-clinical trials have broadened the understanding of the human immune system, as well as furthered xenotransplantation research. However, because xenotransplantation has achieved little success, opponents of the procedure argue that it is unethical to continue its practice. It is also important to note that trials often use baboons in place of humans, which presents several variables to be examined before further human trials can begin. Moreover, the potential acquisition of zoonotic infection is a serious risk that cannot be fully determined without the use of human subjects. Thus, not only will xenotransplantation require more extensive study, it will also require hundreds of animal lives, all in an effort to create nothing more than a last resort.
Currently 70,000 Americans are on the organ waiting list and fewer than 20,000 of these people can hope to have their lives saved by human organ transplantation.1 As a result of this shortage, there has been a tremendous demand for research in alternative methods of organ transplantation. Private companies are racing to develop these technologies with an estimated market of six billion dollars.2 Xenotransplantation, or cross-species organ transplantation, appears to be the most likely solution in the near future, and cloned pigs are the main candidates. Pigs and humans have remarkable similarities in physiology, which along with cloning makes pigs strong possibilities for organ donors. A controversial alternative method involves the use of genetically altered headless human beings as organ donors. Although this method may not be developed for some years, scientists are already discussing the necessary technologies. Whether the solution is the cloning of a pig or a human, organ farms may provide us with a solution to our ever-increasing need for donors.
Organ Transplantation is often the best way of saving human life when a vital organ
Xenotransplantation is the transplantation of organs, tissues or cells from one species to another. Although currently it is only at a preclinical stage, in the near future xenotransplantation could solve the problem of the severe shortage of human organs available for transplant. Currently in the United States, “13 patients die each day waiting to receive a life-saving transplant to replace a diseased organ” 1 The deficiency of donor tissues such as pancreatic islets is also increasing, with statistics in 2002 showing that approximately 140 million people in the world have diabetes but only several thousand pancreatic glands become available annually. 2 This shortage could also be addressed by xenotransplantation using pancreatic islets from
Ethical issues also play a role in the selection of the solutions. Most patients perceive xenotransplantation as an acceptable alternative to transplantation of human organs in life-threatening situations provided the potential benefits outweigh any likely adverse effects on the animals. Xenotransplantation of organs from chimpanzees and baboons has been avoided, because of ethical concerns as chimpanzees are listed as endangered species and the fear of transmission of deadly viruses. Pigs are plentiful, quick to mature, breed well in captivity, have large litters, and have vital organs roughly comparable in size to those of humans. Further there are physiologic similarities between their antibodies to human antibodies, and also since they are already being used in the consumer market, organs have been mainly harvested from pigs. Humans have had prolonged and close contact with pigs, their use for the purpose of xenotransplantation is believed to be less likely to introduce any new infectious agents. Porcine islet cells of Langerhans have been injected into patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Porcine skin has been grafted onto burn patients, and pig neuronal cells have been transplanted into patients with Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease.
"XENOTRANSPLANTATION: The Benefits and Risks of Special Orga Transplantation." BIO. Biotechnology Industry Organization, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.
Though it isn’t an immediate fix, “advances in bioengineering may eventually shrink the organ gap, allowing surgeons to transplant organs engineered from a patient’s own stem cells. But for complex organs such as lungs and kidneys, that goal is probably decades away” (Mantel 337). Stem cell research is a growing industry many have become involved in, and the rates at which people could be saved is amazing. However, it takes time to get to those results, so in the meantime bioengineers have been looking into and experimenting with xenotransplantation; otherwise known as the transplantation of animal organs into humans. Many find this inhumane and animal abuse, but many argue that wouldn’t having children for their “spare parts” be considered inhumane also? The use of animal organs or parts of animal organs seems to be a considerably reliable alternative to doing things illegally. Darian Corner, a student of Sam Houston State University told me her opinions on the use of animal organs in humans and this is what she had to say: “I believe it is a great idea! My niece Ashtyn has a heart defect and two complete arteries and two incomplete arteries at the top of her heart, causing severe lack of blood flow throughout her body. The doctors used a cow vein in replace of a human artery in order to reconstruct it her heart to where she has three complete arteries supplying blood to her body. Her heart is now strong and fully functional, however as she grows she will have to go back in and have the vein exchanged for a larger one, but it saved her life and for that I am extremely thankful.” Its stories like this that makes it hard to believe that more people aren’t supportive of xenotransplantation. Though much more research needs to be done, stem cells, xenotransplantation, and living donors can
Organ Sale is the exchange of human organs for money. This topic is very debatable because some people view organ sales as morally wrong mainly due to the view that only the wealthy will be able to afford the purchase of organs. In addition, many believe those living in poverty will be taken advantage of because they need the money. The selling of human organs can be beneficial to everybody and should be legal. By making organ sales legal it will give individual donors a better financial life, create a safer environment for those who sell their organs, make organ transplants available to more people and most importantly will save many lives.
One of the most beneficial aspects to cloning is the ability to duplicate organs. Many patients in hospitals are waiting for transplants and many of them are dying because they are not receiving a needed organ. To solve this problem, scientists have been using embryonic stem cells to produce organs or tissues to repair or replace damaged ones (Human Cloning). Skin for burn victims, brain cells for the brain damaged, hearts, lungs, livers, and kidneys can all be produced. By combining the technology of stem cell research and human cloning, it will be possible to produce the needed tissues and organs for patients in desperate need for a transplant (Human Cloning). The waiting list for transplants will become a lot shorter and a lot less people will have to suff...