The rationale for xenotransplantation as a solution to the donor organ shortage.

This paper describes the current level of activity in organ transplantation and illustrates that human organ donors are never going to be sufficiently numerous to fill the clinical needs of potential organ recipients. Xenografts are proposed as an alternative solution and arguments are presented to suggest that xenografts from primates to man will not be an appropriate organ source in most cases. Finally the possibility of genetically engineering a pig to provide organs for human use is proposed.