Society at crossroads between animals and humans: where do we go with Xenotransplantation

Xenotransplantation is a medical technique to address the shortage of human cells, tissues and organs. By creating genetically modified animals whose body parts can be transplanted into humans, it aims to reduce queues for organ donation. Sweden was the first country in the world (KI, Huddinge Hospital) to perform xenotransplants in the mid-1990s. Project participants were involved in interviewing transplanted patients. Xenotransplants have been questioned for a long time - medical techniques have been inadequate and societal and ethical issues have slowed down. In 2022, an animal-to-human heart transplant was performed in the US, which has put xenos back in focus. The project is a pilot study doing focus groups with the public and healthcare in Sweden to investigate the status quo today.

Xenotransplantation is a medical technique to address the shortage of human cells, tissues and organs. By creating genetically modified animals whose body parts can be transplanted into humans, it aims to reduce queues for organ donation. Sweden was the first country in the world (KI, Huddinge Hospital) to perform xenotransplants in the mid-1990s. Project participants were involved in interviewing transplanted patients. Xenotransplants have been questioned for a long time - medical techniques have been inadequate and societal and ethical issues have slowed down. In 2022, an animal-to-human heart transplant was performed in the US, which has put xenos back in focus. The project is a pilot study doing focus groups with the public and healthcare in Sweden to investigate the status quo today.