Perspectives of Using Animal Tissues in the Treatment of Human Diseases

The shortage of organs and tissues from deceased donors, which are essential for treating patients with extreme organ failure, is a serious problem in transplantology. The increase in average life expectancy and the expansion of medical indications for the procedure have led to a rise in demand for organs, tissues, and cells for transplantation (e.g., heart, kidneys, Langerhans cells, blood vessels). The gap between the number of available organs and the number of people awaiting transplants is growing every year. Stem cells and tissue engineering are proposed as alternatives to human organs and cells, but they have not yet been implemented in clinical practice. The use of organs, tissues, and cells of animal origin, mainly from transgenic pigs, is being considered more and more often, as organs from genetically modified pigs have already been used for transplants in humans. Some tissues, such as kidneys, show very promising results, while others, such as the heart, liver, or lungs, still require a lot of work. It should be emphasized that Polish scientists are also involved in the preparation of transgenic pigs for xenotransplantation. Of course, different solutions should also be sought in the form of artificial organs and the use of bioartificial organs created using multidimensional bioprinting.