Perspectives in transplantation immunology 1991

Abstract

The clinical success of organ transplantation depends to a large degree on the immunological acceptance of the grafted organ. This paper summarizes from an immunological point of view the recent progress that has been made to improve graft acceptance, and discusses some future aspects in the field. Over the last few years, major emphasis has been put on the development of new immunosuppressive drugs, including FK 506, rapamycin, and Deoxyspergualin. Together with monoclonal antibodies against defined T-cell surface antigens, there are now new and effective means available to prevent or treat rejection episodes. Progress has also been made in the field of HLA typing, where the introduction of molecular biology-based methods significantly increased the accuracy of HLA class II typing. The ultimate goal of transplantation immunology is the induction of (donor-) specific tolerance. While some protocols are effective in inducing peripheral tolerance in experimental animals, these regimens are at present not yet applicable in the clinical situation. To overcome the shortage of donor organs, alternative strategies are currently being considered. Among these, xenotransplantation may eventually prove successful, despite the massive immunological problems such as, e.g., the presence of preformed xenoreactive antibodies.