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Federal regulators have approved genetically modified pigs for food and medical uses in the United States, marking just the second time they have signed off on a biologically modified animal for a consumer purpose. The Food and Drug Administration gave approval this week to pigs that have been engineered to cut out "alpha-gal" sugar in their cells that can cause severe allergic reactions in humans if eaten. The sugar is also found in red meat like beef and lamb. The FDA determined that the domestic line of "GalSafe" pigs are safe to eat and said the absence of alpha-gal sugar...

A team of scientists says it has created a pig that can be used in transplantations in humans. According to the team, which includes researchers from Meiji University and Kyoto Prefectural University, the animal is the first to be developed for transplantation based on national guidelines for xenotransplantation, in which animal organs and cells are transplanted into humans. The team will present its findings at a forum of the Japanese Society for Xenotransplantation in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, on Saturday, and plans to jointly supply the pigs with a private company early next year.

Two scientists at the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute at the University of Pittsburgh discussed the state of xenotransplantation--the use of cells, organs, or tissue from one animal in another--in a review in The Lancet. In that review, they touch on the history of one particular subject: pig-to-human transplants. Their conclusion? Clinical trials of pig-to-human transplants could begin in just a few years. Pigs that are genetically modified with genes to protect their organs and other inside bits from attack by the human immune system are capable of all kinds of potentially life-saving effects. Research has been conducted until now...

If xenotransplantation - animal-to-human transplantation - were to offer a person with Type one diabetes a life without insulin dependency - would that make it OK? This is a proposition people with diabetes are being encouraged to consider by Toi te Taiao: the Bioethics Council and Martin Wilkinson, chair of the Council's xenotransplantation working group, who is a key-note speaker at this weekend's annual Diabetes New Zealand Conference. "People with Diabetes will understand, perhaps better than anyone, the pros and cons of xenotransplantation because it has the potential to affect them personally. There are in fact several xenotransplantation procedures but...

Dear Mrs. F:Thank you for inquiring about our xenotransplant program for diabetics. Our revolutionary program is helping many diabetics reduce the dosage of daily insulin injections, and in many cases eliminating injections altogether. To answer your questions: 1) This cell transplant has been approved by the Department of Health and the National Center for Transplant of Mexico as an actual treatmenton a fee basis. It is no longer part of clinical trials. 2) Your concern about porcine C-peptide is a valid one. We ask that patients that receive this transplant be tested once a year for a period of 5...

VIENNA (Reuters) - Animal-to-human organ transplants could be at the dawn of a new era thanks to progress in overcoming rejection and the creation of transgenic pigs, an expert said Tuesday. Only about 25 percent of critically ill patients in need of a donor heart, kidney or liver receive the life-saving organs. Many die while waiting for a transplant. Xenotransplantation, the use of animal organs or tissue, is considered a possible solution to the worldwide shortage of donor organs. Professor Ian F.C. McKenzie, Australian president of the International Xenotransplantation Association (IXA), told a medical conference that scientists are making progress...