Several approaches are underway to address the problem. First is community education on health matters with a focus on healthy living styles. The goal is to decrease the demand by modifying the behavior of those whose unhealthy lifestyles results in the need for a transplant. Second, a variety of studies are underway regarding the use of animal organs in humans. Limited availability of human organs and tissues, coupled with recent biotechnical advances, has increasingly led to implantations of living cells from other species when human donors are not available, when a bridge organ is needed, or when animal cells may provide a unique benefit.
Xenotransplantation is the use of live nonhuman animal cells, tissues and organs in human patients.
One area of concern with xenotransplantation is the transmission of diseases. A xenogeneic infection is a transmissible disease introduced from animals into humans through xenotransplantation. The National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health are working on recommendations for researchers doing xenotransplant experiments. Transplant physicians try to suppress the immune system with powerful drugs. While these drugs are often successful, they leave the patient vulnerable to many infections.