What animal-to-human xenotransplantation trials are currently in progress worldwide?
Some xenotransplantation trials are currently in progress with regulatory approval in the United States and Europe. These trials involve cellular transplantation (pig fetal neural cells for treatment of Parkinson’s disease) or liver perfusion and skin culture procedures. A small trial of fetal pig islet cells as a treatment for type I diabetes (2 patients) was carried out in New Zealand but a follow-up study was denied permission to proceed in New Zealand because of concerns about PERV infection and is now proceeding in Mexico. An unidentified number of similar trials may also be proceeding in other countries (eg Mexico, China) but the working party was not aware of any trials being conducted on organ xenotransplantation anywhere in the world.
