Ethics Grand Rounds - Preparing for Clinical Xenotransplantation

Описание: Ethics Grand Rounds - Preparing for Clinical Xenotransplantation: Ethical Considerations for Post-research Pig Organs

Presenter: Brendan Parent, JD

The first xenotransplantation clinical trial has been approved after a handful of genetically edited pig hearts and kidneys have been implanted in living human patients through a “compassionate use” approval pathway. Some see xenotransplantation as a potentially sustainable source of organs that could eliminate the dire shortage. To achieve this promise, we need to know how best to support candidate decision-making, obtain informed consent, determine fair recipient eligibility criteria, and create long-term xenozoonoses monitoring strategies that respect privacy rights. But the momentum behind xenotransplantation should not prevent us from asking fundamental questions about how the field ought to be positioned in the future of organ failure treatment. What are the consequences of creating a new animal breeding industry for human medical treatment? How might the integration of xenotransplantation into standard of care exacerbate inequities in access to optimal organ failure treatment? Prof. Parent will address ethical questions about the post-research future of xenotransplantation, and consider what policy changes might be necessary to best promote patient well-being, animal welfare, and public health.

Resource List
Johnson, S. (2022). Existing Ethical Tensions in Xenotransplantation. Camb Q Healthc Ethics. doi: 10.1017/S0963180121001055.
Padilla, L., Hurst, D., Zink, A., Parent, B., Kimberly, L. (2024). Public attitudes to xenotransplantation: A national survey in the United States. American Journal of Transplantation. doi: 10.1016/j.ajt.2024.07.018.
Rabin, R. (2025, April 11). Pig Kidney Removed from Alabama Woman after Organ Rejection. New York Times.