Xenotransplantation: the potential and the challenges

Clinical use of xenotransplants is a potential way to provide care for a population of seriously ill patients and alleviate the demand for human organs. However, xenotransplantation also presents a spectrum of concerns, not only for individual patients but also for the public health, that must be discussed and dealt with in a science-based and public manner. Such discussions should take place on a national level and should include scientists, physicians, and policy makers from all countries in which the clinical use of xenografts is being considered.