xenotransplantation

Scientific  

/ zĕn′ə-trăns′plăn-tā′shən,zē′nə- /

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

---

xenotransplantation Cultural  

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

---

Discover More

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.

Explanation

In xenotransplantation, living material is taken from a member of one species and put into a member of another species. You may have heard of someone having a heart valve replaced with one made out of tissue from a pig. That's an example of xenotransplantation. The word xenotransplantation is built from four main parts: xeno, "foreign," trans, "across," plant, "fix in place," and the suffix -tion, meaning "act or process." The transplanted organ or other tissue is "foreign" because it is from another species. Xenotransplantation from animals to people is uncommon and experimental, and it often makes big news when it happens. The human body's rejection of xenotransplants is a problem.

Example Sentences

Both have since died but helped advance xenotransplantation - the transplanting of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another.

From BBC • Sep. 4, 2025

Unfortunately, xenotransplantation is a risky process because of the chance of tissue rejection.

From Salon • Jan. 29, 2025

For decades, proponents of so-called xenotransplantation have proposed replacing ailing human organs with those from animals.

From New York Times • May 12, 2024

The two results raised optimism that the long-struggling field of xenotransplantation can help alleviate a shortage of human organ donations.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 27, 2024

“His heart is doing everything on its own,” said Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin, the Maryland team’s cardiac xenotransplantation chief.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 20, 2023