Biotechnological Solutions to the Organ Crisis
Organ transplantation is widely accepted as the preferred treatment for end-organ failure. One-year graft survival rates, in general, exceed 80% for most solid organs, with kidney graft survival rates exceeding 90%. Despite excellent patient and graft survival rates, 4487 transplant candidates died while waiting for an organ transplant, and more than 40,000 individuals remained on the transplant waiting list in 1997.

Each year there is an increase in the number of individuals in need of an organ transplant. Data indicate, however, that the number of organs donated during the last 5 years has reached a plateau. These disturbing figures suggest that strategies that were designed to improve organ donation (ie, public awareness campaigns) have met with limited success. As a result, medical researchers have begun to explore whether human bioartificial organs (derived from living cells) or whole-organ xenografts (derived from genetically modified pigs) are viable alternatives for patients who risk death while waiting for an organ transplant. Patients and their families, clinicians, researchers, public policymakers, news media, clergy, and the public are currently discussing the potential psychological, social, and public health risks and benefits associated with these procedures.