Xenotransplants: Making Animals of Ourselves

Subject: Health: Medicine

Medical Studies Series

The world of medicine is constantly growing, finding ways of improving the health and lives of millions worldwide. This series offers a wide range of award-winning documentaries, from biographical studies of noteworthy medical people to research and development programs about important health, medicine and clinical Click for more

Xenotransplants: Making Animals of Ourselves

This documentary explores what's shaping up as one of the most remarkable medical dramas of the twenty-first century, Xenotransplantation, the transplanting of organs between closely related species, such as baboons and humans. Reporter Ian Watson travels across the United States exploring the dilemmas associated with organ transplants. On one side it appears they may save thousands of lives, while on the other Xenotransplants may just be the cause of the next AIDS-like epidemic. To date, Xenotransplantation is an experimental procedure; however, with thousands of human lives at stake, not to mention a fortune that could be made from harvesting human-compatible animal organs, medical science we discover is focusing on overcoming the organ rejection problem as never before. Produced by ABC International, Inc. 08DR Closed-Captioned JSCA 30 min.