Xenograft rejection--all that glitters is not Gal.

Xenotransplantation is being developed in the hope of resolvingthe critical shortage of donor organs for transplantation. TheEurotransplant waiting lists 1] for donor organs of variouskinds number almost 16 000 patients and the US lists 2] morethan 90 000 patients. Renal transplantation, for instance, cost-effectivelyconfers a significant survival advantage 3] and improvementof quality of life 4]. But whereas currently, in Europe, nearly12 000 end-stage renal disease patients await a suitable donor,only 3383 kidney transplants were performed in 2005, with anaverage waiting time of 1174 days 1]. Substantial researchefforts are being made in the field of xenotransplantation,and the immunological barriers are gradually being elucidated.Pig-to-human xenogeneic