The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council has lifted a five-year ban on the clinical use of xenotransplantation – a medical process involving the transplantation of animal tissue into humans to treat disease.
The ban was originally established by the NHMRC in 2004 to allow for further research into the possible side effects of the technique, particularly concerning the potential transmission of disease from animals to humans.
The NHMRC has now concluded that xenotransplantation research can proceed and that the associated risks with xenotransplantation are minimal and acceptable given the potential benefits.
Whilst the ban has been officially lifted, there are still a number of strict guidelines that need to be followed before xenotransplantation research can take place. These include the development and implementation of strict national frameworks, administered by the Therapeutic Goods Association, to ensure all clinical trials are sufficiently monitored and regulated. Animal welfare and ethics organisations will also be responsible for maintaining a high level of animal care.
Xenotransplantation research holds considerable promise for people with type 1 diabetes, particularly in the area of islet transplantation. JDRF funds a number of research projects in Australia and overseas looking into the possibility of using transplanted pig islet cells to replace the human cells lost during the disease process.
So far, xenotransplantation has had positive results in studies overseas. Researchers at two JDRF islet transplant centers in the United States were able to safely and effectively reverse diabetes in a number of animal models including monkeys by transplanting islet cells from pigs.
“JDRF fully supports the NHMRC’s decision to allow clinical xenotransplantation research in Australia,” says JDRF Research Manager, Dr Dorota Pawlak.
“When used under strict ethical and scientific guidelines, xenotransplantation techniques have the potential to save the lives of thousands of people every year.”
“This is especially true for people on organ donor waiting lists and those living type 1 diabetes. These people urgently need to replace the insulin-producing cells destroyed by the disease and there is a very real possibility that this can be done using xenotransplantation.”
If you would like more information about xenotransplantation, go to the NHMRC website or call JDRF on 1300 363 126.
