Transplants of animal organs into people could take place within a few years because of the acute shortages of donated human organs, Reuters quoted a leading scientist as saying on Friday. "It is only in recent years that many of the potential immunological problems, such as transplant rejection, have been solved, meaning the process of transplanting organs from one species into another could soon be a reality," said Dr Anthony Warrens, of Imperial College London. Warrens told the British Association for the Advancement of Science conference in the Irish capital that for every donated human organ that became available there were five people who needed it. Xenotransplantation, the use of organs, tissues or cells from a different species, is thought to be the best solution. Pigs are a likely source of transplant organs because they are about the same size as humans and have a similar physiology. Scientists are working to produce genetically engineered pigs whose tissues would not provoke an immune response in humans. --mor 1531 Local Time 1231 GMT
