A Japanese research team said Thursday it has begun drafting guidelines to facilitate the safe xenotransplantation of genetically modified animal organs to humans, as experiments involving pig-to-human transplants of kidneys and hearts gain traction abroad.
The team from the state-backed Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development aims to finalize the guidelines by fiscal 2025 in hopes the groundbreaking procedures could help address the global shortage of human organ donors.
But with xenotransplantation involving the transplantation of live cells, tissues or organs from one species to another, concerns remain regarding the transmission of unrecognized diseases to recipients and, in turn, the general human population.