Xenotransplantation: Do we have an alternative?

Recent advances in technology have made the possibility of xenotransplantation becoming a routine procedure a distinct reality in the next couple of years. This news does not bode well with all parties and has reopened the issues and controversies surrounding xenotransplantation which were last hotly debated in the case of Baby Fae over a decade ago. Recent television current affairs programmes in the UK such as Panorama have sought to disentangle the multitude of complex issues. However no clear solution has become apparent. The debates around xenotransplantation have been limited as they have not engaged with those involved with alternative human procurement programmes. These have been structured with the presumption that xenotransplantation is the only viable long-term solution. This may not be so and could be wherein lies the answer to the shortage of organs for transplantation.