May 21st, 2005
Xenotransplantation In The News
The New Zealand Herald takes a long look at the politics and science of xenotransplantation, a a field of medicine that could produce therapies or even cures for diabetes and other age-related, degenerative conditions. "From these pigs, Living Cell is taking hormone-producing brain choroid plexus cells for experimental treatment of animals with brain injury, such as strokes, and brain disease, such as Huntington's. Even more promising are the pigs' insulin-producing, pancreatic islet cells, which are now being used for treating humans with diabetes." Unfortunately, xenotransplantation is in much the same place as embryonic stem cell research - held back by political restrictions, threats and FDA red tape.