| abstract |
Conventionally, animal tissue from one species can only be transplanted into another species when the species are concordant; otherwise, hyperimmune rejection ensues. In this invention, donor tissue is modified, for example by being transgenic, to express or otherwise be in association with one or more substances, referred to as homologous complement restriction factors (HCRFs), which are active in the recipient species to prevent the complete activation of complement and therefore rejection. The invention is in part based on the discovery that the alternative pathway of complement activation, rather than the classical pathway, is responsible for hyperacute discordant xenograft rejection. |