Driven by social misconceptions, the scarcity of organ donations is leading to as many as 10 to 15 fatalities each day in Pakistan — the number reaching up to 20 for the United States.
The concerning situation has led to experts calling for urgent reforms to promote both living and cadaver organ donations, while also exploring the revolutionary potential of xenotransplantation, or animal-to-human organ transfers.
In Pakistan, despite the growing number of patients suffering from organ failure, cultural misconceptions and religious hesitation continue to suppress organ donation, leaving thousands to die while waiting for a second chance at life.
Speaking at the First International Conference on Transplantation (FICT) hosted by the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) in Karachi, Pakistani-American transplant pioneer Prof Dr Mohammad Mansoor Mohiuddin emphasised the gravity of the crisis.
“In the United States, one patient dies every 80 minutes due to the unavailability of organs,” he said. Prof Mohiuddin, who successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig heart into a human in a groundbreaking US procedure, added: “Xenotransplantation can potentially extend human life by up to 20 years and holds immense promise for countries like Pakistan, where the organ donation rate is critically low.”
The expert explained that the early trials in xenotransplantation began with pig-to-monkey transplants and initially failed, but advancements in genetic modification have since made the procedures viable. Still, he acknowledged that both ethical and religious concerns remained global barriers to the adoption of animal-to-human organ transfers.
The conference, which DUHS Vice Chancellor Prof Saeed Quraishy described as a milestone in Pakistan’s medical history, brought together over 22 international experts from the US, United Kingdom, Europe and the Middle East.
Notable participants included Prof John Fung, Prof John LaMattina of the University of Chicago, Prof Paulo Grossi from Italy, Prof Faiz Kurt Bred Dickman from Barcelona, Spain, Prof Aamir Ehsan from Texas, US, and Prof Adnan Sharif from the UK.
Prof Fung highlighted that post-transplant infections remained a leading cause of death, which was why infectious disease specialists had also been invited to the conference. He stressed the importance of medication to manage such infections and noted that with the right post-operative care, transplant survival rates could be drastically improved.
“One donor can save up to seven lives,” he said, adding that Islamic countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia already permit organ donations from brain-dead patients, a practice now endorsed by leading scholars in Pakistan as well.
Prof LaMattina praised the surgical expertise of the DUHS’s transplant team and welcomed the growing collaboration between the DUHS and the University of Chicago under the umbrella of the International Liver Transplant Society (ILTS) and The Transplantation Society (TTS). He announced that the next global transplant conference would be held in Chicago.
DUHS Conference Chair Prof Dr Sohail Rao told the media that the two-day event featured 44 international-level presentations, with live-streamed liver and kidney transplants conducted for the first time in Pakistan. “For aspiring surgeons and physicians, this was a historic opportunity for real-time learning,” he said.
Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Jehan Ara Hasan remarked that these live surgeries offered new levels of confidence and exposure to trainees, made possible via high-tech broadcast from operating theatres to the seminar hall and social media.
Experts such as Dr Asim Ahmed and Dr Tasadduq Khan underscored the importance of strengthening legal frameworks, ethical standards and public trust to build a fair and transparent organ donation system. “Organ trading exploits the poor. What we need is equity, not desperation,” said Dr Ahmed.
On the technical side, Dr Ayaz Khan described advanced techniques such as Hand-Assisted Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy (HALDN) as safer, faster and especially effective for donors with complex vascular anatomy, including children.
In the closing remarks, Dr Rao emphasised that the unified religious stance now allowed for broader acceptance of brain-dead donor transplants in Pakistan. “With clear religious guidance and advancing medical expertise, the conditions are right for a transformation in Pakistan’s transplant ecosystem,” he maintained.
Title Set Two: Experts Advocate for Organ Donation Reform and Xenotransplantation in Pakistan and US
Driven by social misconceptions leading to organ donation scarcity, 10-15 daily fatalities occur in Pakistan, and up to 20 in the US.
This critical situation has prompted experts to call for urgent reforms promoting living and cadaver organ donations, alongside exploring the innovative potential of xenotransplantation, or animal-to-human organ transfers.
Despite rising organ failure cases in Pakistan, cultural misunderstandings and religious hesitancy hinder organ donation, resulting in thousands of preventable deaths.
At the First International Conference on Transplantation (FICT) at Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) in Karachi, Pakistani-American transplant pioneer Prof Dr Mohammad Mansoor Mohiuddin highlighted the crisis’s severity.
“In the United States, an organ shortage causes a death every 80 minutes,” he stated. Prof Mohiuddin, who achieved a groundbreaking genetically modified pig heart transplant into a human in the US, added: “Xenotransplantation could extend human life by up to 20 years and offers significant hope for countries with low donation rates like Pakistan.”
The expert explained the evolution of xenotransplantation from initial failed pig-to-monkey trials to viable procedures due to genetic modification advancements. However, he noted that ethical and religious concerns remain global obstacles to animal-to-human organ transfers.
The conference, hailed by DUHS Vice Chancellor Prof Saeed Quraishy as a medical milestone for Pakistan, gathered over 22 international specialists from the US, UK, Europe, and the Middle East.
Notable attendees included Prof John Fung, Prof John LaMattina (University of Chicago), Prof Paulo Grossi (Italy), Prof Faiz Kurt Bred Dickman (Barcelona, Spain), Prof Aamir Ehsan (Texas, US), and Prof Adnan Sharif (UK).
Prof Fung stressed that post-transplant infections are a major cause of death, hence the inclusion of infectious disease specialists in the conference. He emphasised the role of medication in managing these infections and the potential for significantly improved transplant survival rates with proper post-operative care.
“One donor can save up to seven lives,” he said, noting that Islamic nations like Iran and Saudi Arabia already permit organ donation from brain-dead individuals, a practice now supported by leading Pakistani scholars.
Prof LaMattina commended the DUHS transplant team’s surgical skills and welcomed the increasing collaboration between DUHS and the University of Chicago under the International Liver Transplant Society (ILTS) and The Transplantation Society (TTS). He announced Chicago as the venue for the next global transplant conference.
DUHS Conference Chair Prof Dr Sohail Rao informed the media about the two-day event featuring 44 international presentations, including live-streamed liver and kidney transplants, a first for Pakistan. “This provided an unprecedented real-time learning opportunity for aspiring surgeons and physicians,” he stated.
Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Jehan Ara Hasan noted that these live surgeries, facilitated by high-tech broadcasts from operating rooms to the seminar hall and social media, offered trainees enhanced confidence and exposure.
Experts such as Dr Asim Ahmed and Dr Tasadduq Khan emphasised the need for stronger legal frameworks, ethical standards, and public trust to establish a fair and transparent organ donation system. “Organ trading exploits the vulnerable; we need equity, not desperation,” Dr Ahmed asserted.
On the technical front, Dr Ayaz Khan described advanced techniques like Hand-Assisted Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy (HALDN) as safer, faster, and particularly beneficial for donors with complex vascular anatomy, including children.
In his concluding remarks, Dr Rao highlighted that the unified religious stance now allows for greater acceptance of brain-dead donor transplants in Pakistan. “With clear religious guidance and advancing medical expertise, Pakistan is poised for a transformation in its transplant ecosystem,” he concluded.
