Clinical Xenotransplantation of Organs: Why Aren't We There Yet?

The article discusses the implications of large animal xenograft models on clinical xenotransplantation of organs. It also presents the immunological barriers to clinical xenotransplantation of organs or organ transplantation across a species barrier. In the pig-to-nonhuman primate (NHP) combination, the binding of the xenogeneic natural antibody (XNA) with Galactose (Gal) led to graft rejection. Other barriers to xenotransplantation include the protest of animal rights activists and commercial considerations.