Guidelines Urged for Tests of Animal-to-Human Transplants
From Times staff and wire reports
Animal-to-human transplants might help AIDS and Parkinson’s patients and ease the shortage of donated organs, but no clinical trials should begin before federal guidelines are set up, a federal panel said Wednesday. Transplants of animal organs into humans have so far not prolonged human life, but recent scientific advances could change that in the next few years, according to Norman Levinsky of Boston University Medical Center, co-author of a report from the Institute of Medicine.
The report said federal guidelines are needed to ensure safety and success before human trials go forward. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are developing such guidelines, but they are long overdue.
