Registered Members    Remember credentials Do pig organs carry potentially infectious agents such as viruses that could be transmitted to human recipients? Like allotransplantation (transplantation from man to man), xenotransplantation carries the risk of transmitting infections to the recipient. For instance, in 1997, British scientists discovered a virus existed in cultured pig cells that could infect human cells. This virus was identified as the porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV). Endogenous retroviruses are mobile genetic elements present in every mammalian genome, including humans. It is of interest that to date there is no evidence that PERV may lead to any disease in pigs or humans transplanted with pig organs or cells. Who is waiting for a transplant? Why the shortage? Why are transplanted organs rejected? What is xenotransplantation? Why Xenotransplantation and what are its potential benefits? What animals would be used for xenotransplants? Have animal organs or tissues been used in humans before? What are the potential risks of xenotransplantation? How are scientists trying to prevent hyperacute rejection of xenotransplants? What is a Transgenic animal? Have transgenic pigs got rid of the rejection problems for xenotransplants? Can transgenic pig organs be transplanted into humans? Do pig organs carry potentially infectious agents such as viruses that could be transmitted to human recipients? What is a retrovirus? Have PERVs put an end to pig to human transplants then? Has PERV ever been transmitted to a human? Is xenotransplantation the only solution to the shortage of organs for transplantation? What is Reproductive Cloning? What is Transfection? What is Nucleofection? Are pig cells transplanted into brains likely to behave in the same way as human cells? Can pig nerve cells survive in the brain? To repair brain damage, are pig cells better than stem cells? Is the XENOME Project concerned about the welfare of animals?