Registered Members    Remember credentials How are scientists trying to prevent hyperacute rejection of xenotransplants? If a pig organ is transplanted into a primate it is rejected within a few minutes or hours in a process called hyperacute rejection. Pre-existing antibodies in the recipient's bloodstream target the transplanted organ and trigger a destructive chain reaction. The blood supply to the transplanted organ is blocked, cells die, and the organ stops working. Since 1992, herds of transgenic pigs have been bred in Europe and the USA which are no longer susceptible to hyperacute rejection. 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?