[The current status of organ transplantation: the role of xenotransplantation?].

In the last few years, transplantation was an area of intense research activity. However, there is a worldwide shortage of donor organs for clinical transplantations. Currently, interest in xenotransplantation research is growing not only because of the increased demand for organs but also because of advances in molecular biology techniques that make possible the genetic or immunological manipulations of the animal donor rather than the human recipient. The better definitions of the mechanisms responsible for xenograft rejection should facilitate appropriate therapeutic strategies for long xenograft survival.