Medical Evolution: Xenotransplants
The transplant list to receive a new organ in the United States has more than 100,000 people waiting. The determining factor of someone’s place in the list shows how inefficient it is. The order of transplants is decided on a first come, first serve basis. With this being said, more and more people die each year from waiting on the list with a failing organ such as a heart or kidney. However, now with the new technology of xenotransplants, scientists and doctors are focusing on cutting the waiting list for transplants in half. A xenotransplant is the process of grafting or transplanting organs or tissues between members of different species. Using these types of transplants will not only make it easier for people to get the organs they need, but also will help scientists and doctors study diseases like cancer. Some people question how realistic this is, since it is going from an animal to a human or vice versa, would it even be effective?  Although xenotransplants can make it easier for people to catch certain viruses, xenotransplants are a beneficial technological advancement because they ultimately save lives and further the study of diseases in hopes of finding cures. 
The Use: Transplants & Studies 
There are many different ways xenotransplants have been introduced into modern medicine, but the main two are transplants and disease studies. Whether the transplant is a skin graft or a heart, xenotransplants have been thought to be able to end the dreaded transplant waiting list. A medical research paper titled Melanoma xenotransplant on the chicken chorioallantoic membrane, witten by medical professionals Karolína Strnadová et al. (2020) introduced the idea of how scientists are using xenotransplants to study a dangerous skin cancer called melanoma. They inject certain melanoma cells into chicken embryos to observe the effects of the cancer and test potential cures within the embryo (Strnadová et al.,2020). This study is extremely beneficial to the medical world in regard to cancer treatment. It also expands the knowledge medical professionals need to understand exactly how melanoma–and other cancers–work within the body. Knowing this information it is easier to prescribe medications or perform surgeries.
Another form of xenotransplants is xeno-surgeries. A science and psychology based company named Academic Search Premier (2020) published an article called “World’s First Pig‐to‐Human Cardiac Xenotransplantation” which goes into detail about the first pig heart transplanted into a human and how it was a major accomplishment in the surgical realm. The doctors and surgeons were aware of the risk and unsure what the outcome would be. Sadly, the patient did die about two months post-op due to an unknown virus (Academic Search Premier, 2020). The ability to use animal organs for transplants in humans is incredibly impressive and important to save as many lives as possible. Once xenotransplants are perfected many people will benefit from them and have the ability to live a longer, healthier life. However, in order for this to happen scientists must figure out how to prevent the animal viruses from attacking the newly transplanted organ, in this case, the pig heart. The use of xenotransplants will be revolutionary for people of all backgrounds. Once it’s more common we will finally be able to understand how the body is affected by particular diseases. 
Understanding the History: Making It Modern
While xenotransplants may seem to be a new idea, they’ve actually been used since the early 1800s. It’s taken quite a long time for medicine to develop to the point they can be used in a more modern setting, though. According to an article published in the Encyclopedia of Health titled “Xenotransplants”, “The idea of xenotransplants is actually quite old. During the eighteenth century, for example, transfusions of sheep’s blood were believed to be therapeutic for certain human illnesses” (Männikkö et al., 2023). Looking at this, it’s obvious that xenotransplants were once used incorrectly without a scientific explanation as to how they helped with disease. To ensure people could use xenotransplants in current-times an extensive amount of research needed to be done. Scientists studied how the xeno-blood transfusions in the 1800s worked and how it can be improved for organ transplants. 
More recent studies that have been done are the research for heart xenotransplants. Stated in a paper called World first pig‐to‐human cardiac xenotransplantation (2020) published by a science and psychology based company named Academic Search Premier, it has taken decades for the first xeno-heart transplant with a pig heart to be possible. These studies have been in the works since 2005 at a xenotransplant centre which have been done on non-life supporting dummies (Academic Search Premier, 2020). The history of the first heart transplant roots back by almost 20 years to make it somewhat available for people nowadays. It was not an easy process to make it to the point of being able to use a pig heart to save a human life. So, to say the least, the history of xenotransplants have come a long way from where they first started in the 19th century. 
A Big Purpose: Life Saving Transplants
Many may ask, why are xenotransplants even used? Do they serve that much of a purpose? The short answer to that question is, yes, of course they do. Xenotransplants are a great thing in medicine and can help many people with all different types of things. Xenotransplants, a paper from the Encyclopedia of Health written by Männikkö et al. (2023) brings up a point of researchers being interested in these types of transplants to reduce the amount of wait time someone on the transplant list may experience and stop the shortage of organs in the world (Männikkö et al. 2023). Xenotransplants being used will benefit people and hospitals in general. Having them be accessible for everyone who needs a transplant will extend life for people and even make their life better. 
An interest in xenotransplants doesn’t just stop at internal organs, but also external organs. There is a shortage of skin and xenotransplants could be the solution for it. A paper published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology with the name Comparing the application of various engineered xenografts for skin defects: A systematic review written by Salloum, Antoine et al. (2023) states that; 
Since the 1970s, there has been a heightened interest in the use of xenografts as a 
substitute for human tissue.[ 1 ] It paved the way for new treatment modalities in addition 
to be used as a model to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of therapeutic trials. The 
xenograft is efficacious in the treatment of periodontal implants, cutaneous wounds, and 
gastro‐intestinal cancer.[[ 2 ], [ 4 ]]
Xenografts are purposeful for many reasons, having this tool provides more skin-grafts for people who need it after a bad burn or wound. It’s important to have xenografts for this exact purpose, without them it’s harder to receive a skin-graft and the waiting list doubles by the amount of people who need one. Doctors finding out about how to safely use these transplants for external use will be amazing for the newer medicine being used to help people in the certain situations that entail for a skin-graft. So, the importance of xenografts isn’t a question: it serves a huge purpose within the medical community. 
Xenotransplants: Advantages Of Using Them
It’s easy to say that xenotransplants will improve the quality of life for lots of people and will advance the medical field, but how exactly? What are the advantages of using xenotransplants instead of regular transplants? Well, a medical article in the Encyclopedia of Health titled Xenotransplants simply says that it would be a fast and heavily supported supply of organs for human transplants. Having this method will save more lives and leave people living happier and healthier (Männikkö et al. 2023). The biggest take away from this is how fast organ transplants could be once xenotransplants are perfected and can be stabled within a human. Researchers understand how big this could be worldwide in saving lives and extending the knowledge of modern medicine to exotic ideas. Therefore, it would bring a great upperhand for human-kind alone on the transplant list. 
Studying cancer or other disease cell growth by using it in xenotransplants can be an advantage for scientists and medical professionals. It is hard to tell when it forms inside a human because doctors can’t see when it first starts, but by using another organism like a chicken could provide a visual of seeing it grow and seeing how certain medications affect its growth and see if it makes it better or worse. Stated in a scientific paper named Melanoma xenotransplant on the chicken chorioallantoic membrane: a complex biological model for the study of cancer cell behaviour written by Karolína Strnadová et al. (2020) the complexity of seeing the cancerous cell in an embryo is much more advanced than a plastic model. It serves a lot of value in studying how to cure the particular disease (Karolína Strnadová et al., 2020). Importing cancer cells into an animal embryo has a great purpose in advancing medicine for patients. Thus, leading to faster recovery. 
Xenotransplants: Disadvantages Of Using Them 
Though doctors and scientists know a lot more about xenotransplants than they did before, they still aren’t sure on how the organ will react when placed in or on the human body.According to a medical therapy article named Review on porcine endogenous retrovirus detection assays—impact on quality and safety of xenotransplants  (2015) once you receive a xenotransplant the doctors can’t be sure of what diseases it can contract, such as viruses only found within the animal the organ came from. It’s hard to tell if the organ would reject or if the body could even fight against it (Antonia W. Godehardt et al. 2015). Understanding the science behind this, it’s a disadvantage of using the xenotransplants on humans due to the fact that the body isn’t designed to fight off those certain viruses. It’s a very important factor to consider when going through with a xenotransplant. 
Xenotransplants can also be conflicting with different types of medications or vaccines. It’s an issue that can prevent someone’s body from being able to protect itself from potential viruses. Xenotransplantation Literature Update January/February 2021 written by Rao, Joseph Sushil et al. is an article published in Xenotransplants that said specific mutations in a pig organ can make the body unresponsive to some vaccines like COVID-19 (Rao, Joseph Sushil et al., 2021). With xenotransplants making vaccines ineffective to the human body it can cause a big problem with getting sick and can even lead to fatality. It’s something that could definitely prevent more xenotransplants from being used until researchers can work out the specifics to have the body adapt and the organ adapt to a medication. 
However, there is some push to give people who have received xenotransplants animal medications. Published in Xenotransplants the article US Food and Drug Administration regulatory approaches for xenotransplantation products and xenografts written by Arcidiacono, Judith (2020) says that the FDA is trying to have pharmaceutical professionals carry animal medication for people that have xenotransplants (Arcidiacono, Judith, 2020). Having pharmacies carry medicine for humans to fight off the viruses that can be contracted from having an animal organ could solve the problem of people falling ill from them or even dying all together . If humans are able to take this medication and it is effective, then it will make the xenotransplant a whole lot easier for the patient and doctor(s). 
Wrap Up: Overall Points On Xenotransplants  
The use for xenotransplants is in high demand with the transplant list being miles long and the shortage of organs in the world. Xenotransplants will have to be a factor in fixing this issue and saving lives. The deep-rooted history of xenotransplants has come a long way, and maybe one day will reach the perfect place where everyone on the transplant list receives an organ transplant from an animal. It serves a high importance and purpose to the medical field, scientists, and patients. It’s a new type of technique that can transform medicine as a whole. Though there are advantages such as being able to study cancer cells easier and having a shorter wait for a transplantation, there’s still a few things to think about. Not being able to take medication needed to cure or overcome the viruses that can be picked up due to the animal organ and not being able to be protected from human viruses since vaccines don’t affect the animal organ are both big problems with xenotransplants. All being said, once xenotransplants are figured out, they will be something incredible for modern medicine. 

Citations 
Arcidiacono, J. (2020). US Food and Drug Administration regulatory approaches for xenotransplantation products and xenografts. Xenotransplantation, 27(6), 1–3. doi.org/10.1111/xen.12626 
Godehardt, A. W., Rodrigues Costa, M., & Tönjes, R. R. (2015). Review on porcine endogenous retrovirus detection assays-impact on quality and safety of xenotransplants. Xenotransplantation, 22(2), 95–101. doi.org/10.1111/xen.12154
Männikkö, N. F., PhD, & Price, N. E., PhD. (2023). Xenotransplants. Salem Press Encyclopedia of Health. 
Rao, J. S., Matson, A. W., Taylor, R. T., & Burlak, C. (2021). Xenotransplantation Literature Update January/February 2021. Xenotransplantation, 28(3), 1–5. doi.org/10.1111/xen.12685
Salloum, A., Bazzi, N., Squires, S., Chu, T., Benedetto, P., & Benedetto, A. (2023). Comparing the application of various engineered xenografts for skin defects: A systematic review. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 22(3), 921–931. doi.org/10.1111/jocd.15517
Strnadová, K., Španko, M., Dvořánková, B., Lacina, L., Kodet, O., Shbat, A., Klepáček, I., & Smetana, K. (2020). Melanoma xenotransplant on the chicken chorioallantoic membrane: a complex biological model for the study of cancer cell behaviour. Histochemistry & Cell Biology, 1–12. doi.org/10.1007/s00418-020-01872-y
World first pig‐to‐human cardiac xenotransplantation. (2022). Xenotransplantation, 29(1), 1–2. doi.org/10.1111/xen.12733