Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. will provide a $1.5-million endowment to hire one of the world's top transplant researchers to operate the program at London's John P. Robarts Research Institute. The research chair will be named in honor of famed London transplant pioneer Dr. Cal Stiller. Stiller will be at today's official announcement, along with Ontario Health Minister Jim Wilson and Hans Mader, Novartis Canada's chief executive officer.
Stiller, who launched London's transplant program in 1972 and is credited with making London a world centre for monitoring and preventing organ rejection, said that until science learns to grow human organ tissue for transplant, xenotransplantation is the only answer. He expects the first experiments with animal organs to extend human life will begin within two years.
"Today's research world is like a massive jigsaw puzzle, with people from various centres in Europe and North America working on their piece. London will play a significant and potentially leading role in that," Stiller said.
McMurtry said the first transplant will probably involve transplantation
of swine kidneys into humans. He said the genetic makeup of swine is remarkably
similar to humans. "As a potential donor, pigs are very available
and happen to be quite similar to us," he said. McMurtry said there
have been transplants of small animal parts, such as bones or heart valves,
but he is not aware of any successful transplant of animal organs into
humans.
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
He said primates such as chimpanzees are an even closer match
to humans but they are relatively scarce. "Primates are too close
for comfort to humans in many people's minds, so it could get difficult,"
McMurtry said. He said the research will centre on a genetic solution
to the problem of organ rejection by the recipient. Transplant teams now
use drugs to dampen the immune system so the transplanted organ will not
be rejected as foreign tissue. But the anti-rejection drugs can have serious
side effects. Animal organs are even more likely to be rejected by
humans, requiring a new genetic technology, he said. "The idea is
to make the pig's genetic code the same as humans. It could be tailored,
potentially, to a specific individual."
'10 YEARS OR LESS'
McMurtry said he's "guessing" that animal-to-human transplants could be performed in London in "10 years or less." "We may be very surprised at how quickly it happens. Progress on identifying the function of our 100,000 human genes has been startling." McMurtry said there are bound to be some objections about the use of swine organs, noting the popularity of the hit movie Babe, about a talking pig. But he doesn't expect much resistance from desperately ill patients needing transplants. He noted the last time animal rights groups in London mounted a protest about research at UWO there was another counter demonstration of patients with placards saying, "I want to live."
The new researcher will be assisted by Bhagi Singh, chairperson
of the immunology department at UWO, and Terry Delovitch, head of a research
group at the Robarts institute.
Dr. Mark Poznansky, president of the Robarts institute, said
London's research institutions have always been a leader in transplant
technology under the leadership of doctors such as Stiller. Cyclosporine,
an anti-rejection drug used worldwide, was tested in London. Poznansky
said the transplant of animal organs will gain quick acceptance once it
is proven to be safe and effective.
"The notion of an artificial heart or titanium hips was once
bizarre. Once you are able to save a life, people's attitudes will change."
Stiller notes that those who object to the slaughter of pigs for
such purposes should begin at the breakfast table, not the operating table.
He said pigs are also used in the production of insulin.
RISK OF DISEASE
He said the real ethical problem for the medical community is
the possibility that animal organ transplants could transmit some animal
diseases into the human population.
"The ethical issue here is doing something which is good for
a few, which may create danger for the larger population." He said
strict safeguards must be built in the research process to eliminate that
danger.