Pig Organ Transplant Project Launched by Venter

Synthetic Genomics is slated to receive a massive investment so that it may launch a program that will create an organ bank for xenotransplantation -- the use of genetically modified animal organs  for human transplant.

Xenotransplantation is not exactly a new idea. It has been a controversial topic in the medical world for more than 20 years, as it not only involve genetically altering development of live animals, but eventually would involve the transplantation of "humanized" animal organs into a human patient's body.

Some experts argue that this process, while controversial, is less ethically questionable than embryonic stem cell harvesting, which requires the destruction of fertilized human reproduction cells that were on their way to forming a living child.

Like stem cells, researchers argue that xenotransplantation can offer a solution to the current transplantable organ shortage the world is currently facing, where degenerative diseases and near-fatal accidents require replacement organs for patients faster than the organ banks can supply them.

The technology has not yet progressed to a point in which regulators are comfortable with its safety for clinical use, but recent research involving genetically altered pig hearts has shown that these animal organs are not likely to be rejected by a patient's immune system -- a fatal consequence that occurs even with organs from human donors.

It is in light of this recent revelation, the United Therapeutics Corporation (UTC) has said that it will be giving Sythetic Genomics a $50 million investment so that the company may launch a joint program that will refine the process of engineering pigs for safe human xenotransplantation, according to the Financial Times.

It is likely that Synthetic Genomics was selected by the UTC for this endeavor because Craig Venter, the founder of Synthetic Genomics and co-founder of Human Longevity Inc. has been a huge name in the genetic engineering world for decades -- known to be one of the first scientists ever to sequence the human genome and the first scientists to create new genomes in a cell synthetically.

While it is expected that the joint project will launch within the year, it could still be years-upon-years before the xenotransplantation approach is finally approved for human clinical use.

The joint project was announced on, Tuesday, May 6.