xenotransplantation

[ zĕn′ə-trăns′plăn-tāshən, zē′nə- ]


  1. The surgical transfer of cells, tissues, or especially whole organs from one species to another.

Words Nearby xenotransplantation

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for xenotransplantation

xenotransplantation

[ (zen-uh-trans-plan-tay-shun) ]


The transplantation of animal tissue or organs from one species to another.

Notes for xenotransplantation

With the shortage of human organs available for transplant, some work has been done to use pig and nonhuman primate tissues and organs instead. Some critics charge that this could lead to new, dangerous forms of disease if a pathogen that now only affects animals becomes communicable among humans.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.