January 31, 1997

U.S. Finds Trouble in Regulating Research on"Xenotransplants"

Some scientists want to try out animal organs in human patients; others see ethical problems

By Paulette V. Walker

Washington -- When it weighs the different concerns of researchers, activists, and the public on matters of scientific inquiry, the federal government rarely pleases everyone.

Sometimes, as in the case of xenotransplantation, it satisfies nobody.

Interest in xenotransplantation -- the implanting of animal organs, tissues, or cells into humans -- has grown sharply, as more scientists and physicians come to view it as a possible solution to the inadequate supply of organs from