How do we feel about cross-species transplants?

[br d]

Scientist have kept a pigs heart successfully functioning in a Baboon for 2 years:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-3596...

If they can hone these techniques we could end up using other species to provide healthy replacement organs for sick humans.

Clearly efficient organ harvesting would be a good thing for those on transplant lists but is it okay to use other species as organ "hosts"?

Is breeding animals to save lives better or worse than breeding them to satisfy appetites?

[toxgobbler]

Not sure, but I quite fancy having a tail.

[Impasse]

/overly large animal penis joke/

[EagleMoto4-2]

Pig heart valves and skin are already available as xenografts. Am sure there are probably others. This would potentially be a stop gap until tissue engineered or printed organs are perfected.

[davhill]

br d said:

Scientist have kept a pigs heart successfully functioning in a Baboon for 2 years:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-3596...

If they can hone these techniques we could end up using other species to provide healthy replacement organs for sick humans.

Clearly efficient organ harvesting would be a good thing for those on transplant lists but is it okay to use other species as organ "hosts"?

Is breeding animals to save lives better or worse than breeding them to satisfy appetites?

The article outlines genetically modifying pigs in aid of reducing the use of immunosuppressants to fight rejection. I suppose this raises ethical and moral issues. That said, whether it is better or worse really means defining' better' and 'worse' in this context.

Perhaps (thinking aloud here) there is another aspect that warrants consideration. Could a genetically modified animal be slaughtered and butchered ike any other and would we eat its meat?

[jdw100]

I've often said I'd like my left arm, from elbow during end, replaced by that of a black panther. Be super to have a big paw and claws and also nice to the touch....

[98elise]

I can't see the problem. If you can eat another animals liver without a second though, why would it be an issue to have it implanted in your body to save your life.

[glazbagun]

I've no problem with it, although if it performs worse (or better!) than a replacement human heart then there may be issues over who gets what.

I'm no vegetarian, but breeding and killing an animal to use an organ to keep someone alive seems more ethical than what we currently do to pigs because we like bacon.

[Vitorio]

Ive got no problem with it, as long as it is indeed a stopgap in the journey towards specific grown tissue or other artificial replacement parts.

Part of me would really like a cyborg arm/hand, and dont get me started on eletronic eyes, i want enhanced spectrum and zoom vision, being able to see details at 2 miles at night time would be kick ass, not to mention the potential for in eye information displays, target tracking and information enrichment (see a number plate? eye automatically adds any vehicle information in an overlay)

[TwigtheWonderkid]

NeMiSiS said:

This is nothing new, as I have the heart of a Lion.

I have a heart of gold, nerves of steel, a will of iron......and a knob of butter!

[HOGEPH]

I had my knob replaced with a baby elephant's trunk.

Impressed the ladies no end, but I got tired of it shoving buns up my arse all the time....

Edited by HOGEPH on Wednesday 6th April 09:18

[drivin_me_nuts]

People can be so insulting, but the day is looming when the hippocrocopig is less an insult and more a reality.

(But the arm of a panther sounds pretty damned cool to me).

But the face of a baboon's arse, one step beyond madness.

[gmaz]

I expect a Muslim might have a problem with it

[Timmy40]

Body of a Baboon, Brain of a Chimp, and Face of a Pig, already been done in the US. And it's running for presidential nomination

[Jasandjules]

Timmy40 said:

Body of a Baboon, Brain of a Chimp, and Face of a Pig, already been done in the US. And it's running for presidential nomination

That's no way to talk about a Clinton.................

However, I would have preferred them to be looking to grow organs for transplant more than this.. But if it took a pig kidney to keep me alive, well, so be it.

[Iva Barchetta]

Oink Oink....

[Einion Yrth]

gmaz said:

I expect a Muslim might have a problem with it

I don't think anyone was suggesting that it should be compulsory.

[xjay1337]

I think we should use whatever means we have as a means of keeping people healthy.
There is a time when enough is enough, but i don't think genetically we will ever be able to say, graft on an extra pair of functioning arms.

[Vitorio]

xjay1337 said:

There is a time when enough is enough, but i don't think genetically we will ever be able to say, graft on an extra pair of functioning arms.

What would be the problem with that? Just because i have two functioning ones means i cant have another cyborg one? I say that is discrimination of functionally bodied people! Why would amputees get to have all the fun?

[RobGT81]

I have a pulmonary heart valve from a cow, still going after 3 years.

Mooooo...