When David Bennet received a new heart in January 2022, there was something very unusual about the organ being transplanted into his body – instead of coming from a human donor, it was actually a genetically modified pig heart. Marking a major breakthrough, it was the first time that a genetically engineered pig heart had successfully been transplanted into a human being. This procedure is known as xenotransplantation. It refers to the transplantation of living organs, tissues, or cells from one species to another, and is currently being touted as the potential key to solving the organ shortage crisis. The process involves genetically modifying an animal organ – pigs are currently thought to be the best source due to similarities in organ size and physiology – with human gene insertions and/or pig gene deletions to make the recipient’s immune system believe that the foreign transplant is its own tissue, before the organ is then transplanted into the patient.

Full analysis : The future of organ transplants: Xenotransplantation, 3D bioprinting and stem cells.