Pig Organs For Human Transplants?

Recently, researchers have reached a breakthrough in adapting pig organs, which could allow for them to be used for human transplants. As expected, organs from other species would be incompatible. What scientists could do is tamper with the genetic material in pig cells to make them compatible with humans. Pigs are a good candidate for this research because their organs are large enough for humans. Although this is a new and amazing breakthrough, there are still many issues that exist, which requires further research to perfect. One if these issues is that pig organs may prove to be dangerous to humans, as there are many  DNA sequences in pig cells that are linked to a dangerous virus called porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV). Another issue is a well-known issue that exists in transplants; this would be the fact that the human body responds to foreign blood and organs in a hostile way, trying to destroy and remove any foreign material in the body.

If humans had another species to turn to for organ transplants, this would prove to be beneficial, and it would be a notable progression for the human race. If successful, this research could save thousands of lives all around the world, as organs are in high demand and 30 people die per day from needing a donor for an organ. Also, it could cut waiting lists for organ donors from hundreds of thousands to a fraction of that.

This research could also spark much controversy in ethical debate; people may call this research "playing God". Stem cell research also attracts this type of criticism. My personal opinion on this topic is that if this is a completely safe procedure and the research has been genetically perfected, it would be a great step forward for mankind.