What is your opinion on Xenotransplantation?
Please write a comment and put your opinion online for people to view! To help with the decision, there are the advantages and disadvantages posts below .
Monday, 29 October 2012
disadvantages of Xenotransplantation
The Disadvantages of Xenotransplantation
A potentially negative aspect of Xenotransplantation, one of the reasons why people disapprove of it is the common belief that the process is unsafe. They believe it can pass on diseases like PERV(Porcine Endogenous Retrovirus) which is found in pigs and will spread like AIDS to the transplant recipient. A large portion of the population also believes that the transplant recipient can acquire cancer after a period of time. Due to the early nature of the procedure this has not been proven yet, although many people believe that it already has.
Another reason which strengthens the argument that Xenotransplantation should not be allowed is that when Dolly the sheep was cloned, 270 eggs were used and only one reached maturity. Dolly (the sheep egg that reached maturity) still only lived half the normal life span of a sheep. This suggests that Xenotransplantation would require a significant chunk of time to develop for it to even be considered as a viable replacement for organ donors.
Advantages of Xenotransplantation
The Advantages of Xenotransplantation
One of the beneficial factors of Xenotransplantation is the simple, but impressive fact that Xenotransplantation cuts waiting time for organ transplants. 60% of people who need a transplant do not get one, and die during the process of waiting because of how few organ donors there are right now. In some circumstances it can take up to 3 months for an organ to be available for the patient requiring a transplant. Having Xenotransplantation available for public use will give more people the opportunity to have an organ transplant.
The advances and development of the technology used in the practise of Xenotransplantation is another reason as to why Xenotransplantation is a great practise. As the research and the technology advances, so do the safety and cost efficiency of Xenotransplantation. In the USA a 120% to 236% return was made on the governmental investment into Xenotransplantation research. This makes it economically viable as well as ethically.
Arguably the most important reason why the public is so riveted by Xenotransplantation is the fact that it saves lives. With every organ grown and successfully transplanted, a life is saved. A spot in the queue for an organ is also now available. If the technology is potentially available, then why shouldn’t Scientists and Surgeons utilise it?
About this blog
About this Blog
This blog is a place where you can share and view opinions about Xenotransplantation, as well as facts and sources to help others decide their opinion on. This blog was created to inform the community of the facts and fallacies of Xenotransplantation, as a form of action for an end of year summary task; Exhibition. Please no swearing or rude language and try to use correct spelling and punctuation when posting comments!
Contacts
If you wish to contact an expert in the field of Xenotransplantation to obtain firsthand information, I would recommend that you contact Professor Hiromitsu Nakauchi. Please use his contact details responsibly!
Phone Number: 81-3- 5449-5330
Fax:81-544-5451
Work Address: University of Tokyo 4-6-1 Shirokoanedai,Minato-ku Tokyo, Japan108-8639
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