Lung Transplants

Lung transplants are given to people as a last resort treatment for irreversible lung failure. Current treatments still only involve donors. However there is always more people on waiting lists than people who a re suited as a donor. There continue to be developments in the areas of stem cells and xenotransplantation.
 

Lung failure happens when the lungs are damaged and unable to transfer oxygen and carbon dioxide to and away from cells. Lung transplantation surgery might be used to try to help someone who has given up smoking and who might not live more than a few years without this operation. Surgeons take out one damaged lung and replace it with a healthy lung from a donor. The tissue in the donor lung needs to match the tissue in the person who gets the new lung. It can be hard to find a good match.
 

Suitable transplant patients typically include people with emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, and pulmonary hypertension. Standard lung transplantation is not recommended as a treatment for lung cancer.
 

According to 2006 statistics available from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) there were more than 2,900 individuals on the waiting list for lung transplants in the U.S. and 150 are waiting for heart/lung transplants. There were more than 1,400 lung transplants performed in 2005.

New Lungs From Stem Cells
 

In 2005 Scientists at Imperial College London reported they had successfully coaxed embryonic stem cells to change into specialized lung cells. The cells line an area of human lungs that helps our bodies absorb oxygen and shed carbon dioxide. They hailed the breakthrough as a first step toward lab-grown replacement lungs and tissue for transplant and cancer patients.

Back then they said it will be some years before being able to build actual human lungs for transplantation. We are waiting for news on updates regarding this work.
 

Transplanting Animal Lungs (Xenotransplantation)
 

There has not yet been an attempt to transplant an animal's lungs into humans, however Xenotransplantation, the process of transplanting organs from one species into another, could soon be reality, easing the current shortage of organs for transplantation.

In 2005 Dr. Warrens, from Imperial College London and Hammersmith Hospital, says: "Although the idea of xenotransplantation is far from new, 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."

"With the increasing shortage of donors for organ transplants, the use of animal organs may be the only hope for many suffering from problems such as lung failure."

Despite the progress made in this field there are still a number of problems associated with transplanting animal organs into humans. The dangers of animal viruses crossing over and infecting humans are still a cause for concern, as researchers have been unable to create an animal model to test the likelihood and extent of any cross over.

In addition, unknown animal pathogens could prove a potential problem. While scientists can create treatment and transplant rejection prevention strategies for known human pathogens, they are unable to do so for animal pathogens, whose effects on humans may not be fully known. Dr Warrens adds: "Despite the risks, xenotransplantation may be the best hope we have for dealing with the current transplant shortage.

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