User:Luceroanaicruz/sandbox/sanbox

There has been a recent interest in using animals for blood transfusion as well as ethical questions regarding this matter. Although there needs to be more study on the topic some scientists are already considering the idea to use an animal such as the pig for blood transfusion. To come up with this answer they tested many animals to see which one was the best candidate for blood donation. Pig red blood cells (pRBCs) had more characteristics similar to the humans. Starting with RBC diameters (pig 4 to 8 μm: human 7.5 μm) and RBC counts (pig 5.7 to 6.9 million/ll; human 4.2 to 6.2 million/ll) are similar, RBC average lifespan (86 vs. 120 days).(cooper 2013) XTF has not been tested in humans, however current evidence shows that pRBCs will function normally in humans due to a relation between porcine blood groups and human ABO group system (Zhu 2003). Also it is possible to produce pigs with type O and it is also possible to genetically modify the pig to make its blood more compatible with humans. The blood of the pig will be used to save lives and to increase blood quantity. The organism will be kept alive and no serious harm will be involved in XTF, it will be similar to how blood is removed from humans. Only 10% of its blood volume will be used each time. Therefore, it is ethically acceptable to raise pigs for periodically blood collection as it doesn’t damage the health of the animal (roux 2007). At the moment there is not a significant shortage on blood and the need for blood is less urgent than that for organs, tissues or cells. It is not absolutely necessary to use animals for XTF however, it represents a real opportunity. The ability to gain access to an unlimited quantity of blood is a reasonable justification for XTF. Because its technical and ethical problems are less severe, XTF could be the first large-scale clinical application of XT.