xenograft
Meaning of xenograft: A xenograft is tissue or an organ transplanted from a donor of one species into a recipient of a different species.
Definition of xenograft
A xenograft is a transplant of an organ, tissue, or cells from a donor of one species into a recipient of a different species. This differs from more common forms of transplantation, in which the donor and recipient belong to the same species, whether from a living or deceased human donor.
Xenografts have several established medical uses, including certain heart valve replacements made from animal tissue that has been specially treated to reduce the chance of rejection and improve durability. In research, xenografts are also used to study human disease, such as by transplanting human tumor tissue into laboratory animals to observe how the tumor behaves or responds to treatment.
Because the recipient's immune system generally recognizes tissue from another species as foreign, xenografts carry a substantial risk of rejection, and their use is limited to settings where the tissue has been specially prepared or where rejection is not the primary concern, as in short-term research applications.
Used in a sentence
The heart valve replacement used a xenograft derived from treated animal tissue.
Good to know
A xenograft crosses species lines, distinguishing it from an allograft, which is transplanted between individuals of the same species and carries a different, generally lower, risk of rejection.
Word origin
Where “xenograft” comes from
Formed from Greek xenos, meaning foreign or stranger, combined with graft, an ordinary English word for transplanted tissue.