Xenotransplantation literature update March–April, 2009

During the period March–April, 2009, nine reviews on different aspects of xenotransplantation were published, six of which appeared in the April issue of Current Opinion in Organ Transplantation, edited by Gilles Blancho. Sachs and Galli [1] reviewed recent developments in the techniques and applications of genetically modified animals. The authors summarized existing and emerging technologies, including enzymatic engineering and the use of small interfering RNA, as well as recent data on xenotransplantation models using genetically modified donor animals. They concluded that new transgenic and knockout animals, potentially modified for individual organs, need to be generated on the background of inbred pigs, and mentioned the European Union’s Xenome project. Cowan et al. recently published two reviews [2,3] on different aspects of complement and coagulation issues in xenotransplantation. The authors discussed different approaches to prevent the Schneider MKJ, Seebach JD. Xenotransplantation literature update March–April, 2009. Xenotransplantation 2009; 16: 187–191. 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S. M rten K. J. Schneider and Jçrg D. Seebach Laboratory for Transplantation Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Service of Immunology and Allergology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital and Medical Faculty, Geneva, Switzerland