Recollections of Pioneers in Xenotransplantation Research David K. C. Cooper, ed. New York, NY: Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2018. 445 pp.

Abstract

In Recollections of Pioneers in Xenotransplantation Research,1Cooper DKC Recollections of Pioneers in Xenotransplantation Research. Nova Science Publishers, New York, NY2018Google Scholar Dr. David K. C. Cooper curates a variety of essays that “reminisce” on xenotransplantation from its infancy to the current state of the art. This long view of xenotransplantation is important. It sheds light on the contemporary thinking of experts in the field over the past 60 years. From the initial enthusiasm for Dr. Keith Reemtsma’s chimpanzee xenotransplants in New Orleans to current challenges in porcine genetic modifications, the text illustrates how the tenets of modern xenotransplantation were established. Additionally, it tells the story of xenotransplantation within the broader context of transplantation. In doing so, it reminds the reader of the critical interplay between xeno- and allo-transplantation in advancing our knowledge of the immune system. These essays also tell an important story of the difficulties in funding and maintaining work in a field with such a long time-horizon and myriad challenges. Indeed, Roy Calene’s famous quote is repeated by multiple authors: “Clinical xenotransplantation is just around the corner—but it may be a very long corner.” The dedication of the individuals to the promise of xenotransplantation and their unceasing efforts to secure support are instructive to new scientists embarking upon careers in translational research. Though calling the individuals in these essays “pioneers” is perhaps overstatement—they have yet to reach their destination of clinically relevant xenotransplantation—the history preserved by this volume is worthwhile. Given recent advances in clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/Cas9 (CRISPR/Cas9) technology and the explosion of work in genetic engineering, Recollections is a timely reflection on a field that is perennially on the cusp of clinical application. The author of this article has no conflicts of interest to disclose as described by the American Journal of Transplantation.