UK's first xenotransplantation license imminent

The UK government has agreed to allow research on the use of transgenic pigs for transplantation due to the acute shortage of human organs. No license has been granted, but the first application is believed to be imminent.

A draft report of the 'monitoring and surveillance of potential infections associated with xenotransplantation' has recommended that transplant patients about to receive pigs' organs sign a contract agreeing to a number of stringent stipulations. Among others, these include signing a pledge never to have children, agreeing to the continuous monitoring of current and future sexual partners registered by medical authorities, agreeing to never give blood and to use barrier contraception for life.

The draft report has been compiled by the infection surveillance steering group of the United Kingdom Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority (UKXIRA) which is appointed by the government to look into the medical and ethical implications of such transplants. The draft proposals will be discussed by the full regulatory body in December.

Clinical trials have suggested that transplanting organs or tissue from transgenic pigs could bring hope to a large constituency of people ranging from stroke victims to Parkinson's sufferers. But scientists are concerned about Porcine Endogenous Retroviruses (Pervs) which hide their genetic code inside that of the pig, making it impossible to remove them - bringing with them the potential risk of transmitting animals viruses into the human population. The risks have been studied by Imutran, the Cambridge-based, British company that with Nextran of Princeton in the US, is at the forefront of xenotransplantation research. Imutran passed 160 case studies worldwide to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No Pervs infection was discovered.