Medicine has seen important advances throughout history. The development of vaccines has been essential to prevent millions of deaths around the world. At the same time, there are still pending items. One of the most serious has its origin in the low number in organ donation that prevails in some countries and that is why xenotransplantation has now become a possible solution.
In Mexico there are high rates of patients waiting to receive an organ transplant. Only in 2021 the National Transplant Center (Cenatra) registered 17,299 patients waiting for a kidney, 5,259 corneas, 238 liver and 54 heart. In contrast, despite the fact that the waiting list exceeds 23,000 patients, Only 7,000 transplants were performed in the country last year, that is, less than a third of those required.
Added to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which put many highly specialized health services on hold due to the demand for resources to end the crisis, there is also little culture of donation. For this reason, it is essential to commit to medical innovation in order to have new alternatives for patients whose lives depend on transplant of an organ.
Given this scenario caused by low organ donation, Dr. Ma. Elena Sañudo, Medical Director of the General Medicines Unit of Sanofi Mexico, explained the benefits of xenotransplantation.
“The conditions in which the tissue to be transplanted must be kept vary depending on its nature. It is not always possible to generate histocompatibility with an organ and this is due to many factors. Thus, one of the main actions to deal with this problem is to promote a culture of organ donation in our country. Therein lies the importance of generating alternatives that meet the needs of patients and represent a true solution to this serious public health problem.”
What are xenotransplantation and how would they help in organ donation?
Today, biomedical advances have driven the practice of xenotransplantation, which consists of implanting organs from animals with high genetic compatibility with humans. Although the attempts and experimental phases have their origin at the beginning of the 20th century, the chances of achieving a successful surgery that increases the patient’s life have now increased.
Dr. Robert A. Montgomery, considered a world leader in kidney transplantation and an authority on xenotransplantation, and who is himself a heart transplant patient, shares his position on this innovative alternative during his visit to Mexico.
“In 2021 we will perform the first kidney xenotransplantation in a 66-year-old patient. After being under observation, we noted the successful acceptance of the organ in her body. Organ shortage is an undeniable problem in organ transplantation. Even if we are able to significantly increase donation rates, transplants will never be able to provide enough organs for all the patients in the world. Xenotransplantation is a near reality that could be initiated through cell xenotransplantation or as a “bridge” for transplantation”
Although xenotransplantation is recognized as an adequate treatment for various serious diseases due to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is also key to underline the importance of surveillance so that the transplanted organ functions properly, graft rejection is avoided and the risk of disease transmission is avoided.
The WHO has said that to date there is no evidence that organ transplants from pigs cause infectious disease in the recipient, raising hopes that this alternative could be considered for more patients as research progresses.