Pig organs approved for human transplants
BMJ 1996; 312 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.312.7032.657 (Published 16 March 1996) Cite this as: BMJ 1996;312:657The use of pig organs for transplantation into humans in Britain was given the go ahead by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics last week (see also p 651). But the council's report on the ethics of animal to human transplantation (xenotransplantation) warns that problems with rejection and the risks of transferring infectious diseases between species have not been adequately dealt with. The council is calling for the government to set up an advisory committee to put controls in place before the first xenotransplantations are carried out in humans.
Professor Albert Weale, chairman of the Nuffield Council's working party and professor of government at the University of Essex, said: “Around 5000 patients are on the waiting list for transplants, but because of …
Log in
Log in using your username and password
Log in through your institution
Subscribe from £138 *
Subscribe and get access to all BMJ articles, and much more.
* For online subscription
Access this article for 1 day for:
£23 / $37 / €30 (inc. VAT)
You can download a PDF version for your personal record.