ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION 3.7 The first successful organ transplant was of a kidney in 1954. Since then the list has grown to include the heart, liver, lungs, pancreas, and intestines. A number of tissues can also be transplanted.

ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION 3.7 Transplantation involves the transfer of living tissues or organs from one person to another. The main risk for transplant patients is organ rejection. A recipient’s immune system may recognize the new organ as a foreign material and try to destroy it. Because of this, transplanted tissues must be genetically similar to the recipient. Most transplant patients must take drugs to reduce the risk of rejection. In the majority of cases, donors are dead and their organs are harvested for transplanting into recipients. In some cases, living donors provide organs for transplanting. Often living donors are relatives of the recipient, which reduces the chances of organ rejection and shortens waiting times. Xenotransplantation is the transplanting of body parts from one species to another. Heart valves from pigs have been used to replace damaged heart valves in humans. Before the valves can be implanted in a human, they must first be treated to kill the pig’s cells, so the tissue is no longer living. xenotransplantation