German scientists plan to clone and then breed pigs which have been genetically modified to be able to serve as organ transplant donors for humans.
Eckhard Wolf from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich said he planned to have the pigs ready by the year 2025.
This project follows the groundbreaking surgery carried out by a team from the University of Maryland in the US last month which carried out an experimental heart transplant on a man with a terminal illness, replacing his heart with a genetically modified pig heart.
At the time of writing the patient is reportedly responding well but risks of organ rejection, infection and, high blood pressure remain.
The project to use pigs as organ donors has drawn strong criticism from some animal rights groups.