The first organs suitable for transplanting, most likely kidneys, are expected to be ready within three years and, if tests are successful, their use could be widespread by 2018.
attempting to breed pigs that have been genetically modified so that porcine organs are accepted by the human body instead of being immediately rejected.
they are close to modifying the genetic make-up of pigs to “humanise” their organs and make animal-to-human transplants possible.
Patients who received pig organs would have to take immune suppressant drugs for the rest of their lives, but no more than those who received organ transplants from other people.
Pigs are regarded as ideal for animal-to-human transplants, xenotransplantation, and other research because of the similarity in the physiological make-up and because they get many of the same diseases, such as diabetes.
He expected the first “proof of principle” pigs to be bred next year.
Under UK and EU rules, his team has been banned from mating and producing offspring from the transgenic pigs. Research in developing transgenic pigs is now likely to move to the US where the regulatory system is more relaxed.