Background: The global demand for organ transplantation outpaces supply, necessitating innovative solutions. Xenotransplantation, using animal organs, is a promising solution to address the organ shortage. The World Health Organization and the International Xenotransplantation Association collaboratively established an online inventory in 2006 (www.humanxenotransplant.org) to catalog human xenotransplantation practices. The inventory, managed successively by the Geneva University Hospital and the Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, aligns with WHO directives for transparency and best practices in the field of xenotransplantation.
Methods: Relevant data is regularly collected from various sources (scientific publications, congresses, press articles, declarations from International Xenotransplantation Association members) by a dedicated team in Switzerland and China ensuring rigorous verification. The initial information is used to create a first entry in the database which is then completed when more details become available or is verified by the team involved in the transplant.
Results: As of January 2024, the inventory contains 47 entries of xenotransplant procedures on humans. Various trends can be observed over the last two decades regarding the type of transplant, their regulatory status, and the source animal. Notably, recent high-profile cases of solid organ xenotransplantation involving kidneys and hearts were made feasible through years of progressive xenotransplantation research.
Conclusions: Recent clinical applications of solid organ xenotransplants suggest that more clinical practices will likely soon follow for patients with end-stage kidney or heart disease, and potentially diabetes. Future perspectives advocate for the integration of the xenotransplant inventory into a larger international registry along with other transplant procedures, such as the Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation (GODT).