Transplant Pioneer Research Articles

First human heart transplantation in the national and foreign history of medicine

The first human heart transplant immediately exposed many unsolved problems of organ transplant existing at an early stage of the development of that kind of medical technology. The review of historical, legal and philosophical aspects of the first human heart transplantation in Russia and abroad is presented. Special attention is paid to the role and destiny of the pioneers of heart transplantation. The dramatic lives of Vladimir Demikhov and famous South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard are compared. The hard way of the heart transplantation founders is not lost, worthy successors continued their work, saving the lives of hundreds and thousands of patients.

Thomas Earl Starzl, MD, PhD, Transplant Pioneer, Polymath, Mentor, March 11th, 1926-March 4th, 2017.

Thomas Earl Starzl, MD, PhD, Transplant Pioneer, Polymath, Mentor, March 11th, 1926-March 4th, 2017.

Early clinical xenotransplantation experiences-An interview with Thomas E. Starzl, MD, PhD.

Dr Thomas E. Starzl, who died on March 4, 2017, was one of the great pioneers of organ transplantation. He was also a pioneer in the field of xenotransplantation. In 1964, he carried out baboon kidney transplants in six patients with terminal renal disease for whom no living or deceased donor became available; graft survival was for 19-60days, the grafts being lost largely through continuous complement activation. Between 1966 and 1974, he carried out one ex vivo liver perfusion and three orthotopic liver transplants using chimpanzees as sources of organs; graft survival was for <14days. In 1992 and 1993, his team carried out baboon liver transplantation in two patients with cirrhosis from hepatitis B infection; graft survival was for 70 and 26days, respectively. This early clinical experience is briefly discussed. Toward the end of his life, Dr Starzl was somewhat disillusioned by what he considered excessive regulation of medical research in the United States and believed that new advances were now likely to take place in countries such as China, where the regulatory framework is less developed.

Theodor M Fliedner (1 October 1929-9 November 2015), transplant pioneer.

Theodor M Fliedner (1 October 1929-9 November 2015), transplant pioneer.

Paul I. Terasaki, PhD, 1929-2016.

Paul Terasaki was a pioneer of transplantation and had a global following. His career, which spanned >50years, included accomplishments and discoveries that revolutionized the field of transplantation and that advanced the care of transplant patients. Paul is survived by his wife Hisako, his brother, four children and six grandchildren as well as legions of close friends and colleagues around the world who will continue to build on his successes.

The History of Surgery at the Montreal Heart Institute

The Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) is a specialty hospital dedicated to cardiology and heart surgery. Founded in 1954 by Paul David, it is currently affiliated with the Université de Montréal. The Montreal Heart Institute is a center that has rested on the shoulders of multiple pioneers over the past 63 years. Renowned for its sustained excellence and commitment to patient care, the MHI also focuses on research and innovation. It has become one of the leading heart institutions in modern cardiac surgery and also one of the busiest cardiac surgery centers in the country. Our leaders have impacted the treatment of patients with heart diseases through clinical care and education. Staff surgeons have been trained at top centers across the world for the benefit of Canadian patients. The MHI was a pioneer in heart transplantation and CABG surgery and focuses on evaluative research of new technology.

Sir Roy Calne, artist with scalpel and brush, transplant pioneer, researcher, artist, lasker and pride of Britain awardee.

Sir Roy Calne, artist with scalpel and brush, transplant pioneer, researcher, artist, lasker and pride of Britain awardee.

Max Klein: a great man and a great paediatrician

Max Klein (1941–2015) died suddenly on 27 January 2015 while riding his bicycle in the beautiful surroundings of Stellenbosch near Cape Town. Professor Klein made a large contribution to the...

Alexis Carrel (1873-1944): visionary vascular surgeon and pioneer in organ transplantation.

Alexis Carrel was a French surgeon in the 20th century. He made significant contributions to many advances in the fields of vascular surgery, cardiothoracic surgery and organ transplantation. He demonstrated that blood vessels can be united end-to-end and pioneered the triangulation suturing technique in vascular anastomosis. The methods he developed are still in use to this day. He insisted on the importance of absolute asepsis in vascular surgery when such practices were almost unheard of. He was also considered the father of solid organ transplantation. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in recognition of his work. Together with Charles Lindbergh, he developed the extracorporeal perfusion pump to keep organs alive outside the human body. His contribution to medicine also extended to tissue culture and wound management. He was one of the most controversial figures of his generation, believing in the idea of genetic superiority and eugenics and he was associated with fascism in the 1930s.

Doctor Joseph Murray Transplant pioneer and Nobel prize winner

Journal of Renal NursingVol. 5, No. 1 In MemoriamDoctor Joseph Murray Transplant pioneer and Nobel prize winnerChris BielaChris BielaSearch for more papers by this authorChris BielaPublished Online:29 Sep 2013https://doi.org/10.12968/jorn.2013.5.1.45AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail View article FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails 1 January 2013Volume 5Issue 1ISSN (print): 2041-1448ISSN (online): 2052-2894 Metrics History Published online 29 September 2013 Published in print 1 January 2013 Information© MA Healthcare LimitedPDF download

Vladimir P. Demikhov, a Pioneer of Organ Transplantation

Vladimir P. Demikhov was born in a Russian peasant family in 1916. As a biology student at The Moscow University in 1937, he constructed a metal artificial heart and maintained the circulation of a dog for 5.5 hours. From 1946, after his military service, he worked in the Surgical Institute of The Moscow Academy of Sciences performing heterotopic heart transplantations in dogs. In 1947, he performed the first orthotopic lung transplant. Later he performed complex cardiothoracic transplantations as well as renal and hepatic transplantations. He restarted his investigations with the artificial heart and performed coronary bypass operations in dogs. In 1954 he performed a head transplantation, for which he gained worldwide infamy. Stalinist propaganda advertised this fact as the superiority of Soviet science. In fact, it was the upper body of a smaller dog to the neck of a bigger one. The two heads could eat and drink separately. But he could not overcome the problems of rejection, so the longest survival was 1 month among 20 such operations. His influence on the pioneers of transplantation is unquestionable. He was an innovative creative man, and many pioneers of transplantation highly appreciated his work. Demikhov contributed to clinical heart and lung transplantation by demonstrating the possibility of their experimental realization; furthermore, he motivated the pioneers of coronary bypass operations with his work. He died in 1998, but before that was honored with a high state award and the “Pioneer Award” of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.

Joseph Murray: innovative surgeon and pioneer of transplantation

In an age when expertise is ever more narrowly focused, the notion of training in one subspecialty, moving to another, doing research that will earn a Nobel Prize, then switching back to the original sounds distinctly fanciful. Yet in the mid-1900s Joseph Murray—by training a plastic surgeon but celebrated as the Nobel Prize winning pioneer of kidney transplantation—did precisely that. As his late friend and Boston surgical colleague Francis Moore is said to have commented, “Joe's the only guy who ever won a Nobel Prize for pursuing a hobby.” An overstatement, of course; but looking back over Murray's career, you can see what he was getting at.

Richard Carlton Lillehei Transplant and Shock Surgical Pioneer

ABSTRACTRichard Carlton Lillehei (1927–1981) was a trainee of the Minnesota School of Surgery under Owen H. Wangensteen in the early 1950s, when great advances were being accomplished in cardiac surgery. His mentors besides Wangensteen included his brother C. Walton Lillehei, Richard L. Varco, and several others in the Department of Surgery. His interest in surgical research was evident since the early part of his training. The understanding of the nature and management of shock occupied his attention and persisted all his life. Equally, his studies on organ preservation and intestinal and pancreatic transplantation were classic in the evolution of surgery. In fact, Rich Lillehei, together with William Kelly, performed the world's first clinical pancreas transplant in 1966 and with his own team, the world's first clinical small bowel transplantation in 1967. Following that, these two areas of transplantation progressively advanced to be applied to thousands of patients worldwide. Lillehei was also a committed teacher and many of his students are disseminated throughout the globe. Unfortunately, his enormous contributions were cut short with his premature death at age 53. However, his surgical legacy remains alive!

Robert T. Morris, M.D.—appreciation of an enlightened surgeon and pioneer of ovarian transplantation

To show that ovarian transplantation is a promising strategy for preserving fertility in young women and children who have cryopreserved tissue before undergoing potentially sterilizing treatment for cancer and other conditions. Credit for the first transplants is because of a forgotten pioneer, Robert Morris of New York, who was an innovative surgeon as well as a model clinical investigator over a century ago.

Folkert O. Belzer and the “Hot Dog Experiment”

Folkert (Fred) Belzer, MD, the long-term chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of Wisconsin and transplant pioneer can be described as the consummate academic surgeon. Early on in his career, while working at UCSF under the leadership of Dr Englebert Dunphy and, later, John Najarian, he developed a keen interest in organ preservation and devised an organ preservation machine. Initially, the device was so large that it had to be transported in a truck. Later, it became small enough to be loaded into the cargo compartment of a single engine airplane.

Recalling My Mentor, My Friend—Adrian Kantrowitz: Pioneer in Mechanical Circulatory Assistance, Artificial Organs, and Transplantation

Recalling My Mentor, My Friend—Adrian Kantrowitz: Pioneer in Mechanical Circulatory Assistance, Artificial Organs, and Transplantation

Professor Tadeusz Orlowski – In Memory of a Pioneer in European Nephrology and Transplantation

Tadeusz Orlowski, 90, died of congestive heart failure on July 30th, 2008, in Warsaw. In him, Europe has lost a great authority in modern medicine and a committed researcher with a deep dedication to patient care. Orlowski was born on September 13th, 1917, in Kazan (Russia), as son of Prof. Witold Orlowski, the later founder of the Polish School of Internal Medicine. The young Tadeusz studied medicine during the Second World War in Warsaw and completed his physician diploma at the Medical Faculty of the Josef Pilsudski Polish Underground University in 1943. Under the Nazi Occupation he was active in the counter-espionage for the Polish Government in exile in London, adopting the nom de guerre of ‘Spaga’. During the Warsaw Uprising he fought as a soldier of the Home Army (Polish Resistance Organisation), where he tended the wounded. For both of these life-threatening activities the patriot Orlowski received numerous decorations. Afterwards he worked as assistant at the Clinic of Internal Medicine of the University of Warsaw, chaired by his father. In 1963, at the age of 46, he advanced to professor ordinarius and in the same year took up the post of Head of the Clinic of Internal Medicine. From 1975 to 1987, Orlowski chaired the Institute of Transplantation, which he founded with the support of the Polish Academy of Sciences [1] . This leading transplantation institute – with all aspects of kidney, pancreas and liver transplantation – flourishes to this day under Published online: October 1, 2009

John P. Merrill

“In the years I spent as a member of the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital house staff, I had the privilege of gaining some unique insights into both Merrill-the-physician and Merrill-the-man. As a physician, history will accord Dr. Merrill a long sequence of outstanding scientific contributions in the field of nephrology. And history will say it was he who played an integral role in making renal transplantation a lifesaving tool. But I see Merrill-the-physician in a different light. I see him as a very courageous man. I say that because as a member of the Brigham house staff during the early days of transplantation, I know how open to criticism he was. I know, he knew, there were many whisperings in the scientific world about the audacity of his concepts. The easy way would have been to back down; after all, he was a world-leading nephrologist already … so what could be the personal gain? But John Merrill persisted in pursuing his vision. And John Merrill won … mostly because he is courageous” (1). John Putnam Merrill was one of the giants of the world of nephrology. He occupies a place in history as the leading pioneer in dialysis and kidney transplantation. As we approach the 25th anniversary of his tragic death, it is worth reviewing the enormous contributions of this gifted and charismatic pioneer. Today, nephrology is perceived as a multidimensional specialty offering a home to eclectic interests including clinical nephrologists, experts in dialysis, transplantation medicine, immunology, and hypertension. Such a multifaceted specialty did not exist before 1950. Its evolution and development were rapid. Attendance at the first International Society of Nephrology Congress in Evian, France, in 1960 was a mere 100+. By November 2007, the number of attendees at the American Society of Nephrology meeting was 13,960 (Mark …

Richard Lower: The Other Quiet Pioneer of Cardiac Transplantation (1930–2008)

Richard Lower: The Other Quiet Pioneer of Cardiac Transplantation (1930–2008)

Notes from the Editor Emeritus

1. Richard C. Shiell, MBBS 1. Melbourne, Australia </br>![][1]</img> Editors’ Note: Dr. Shiell was recognized as one of 12 pioneers of Hair Transplantation at a ceremony during our 2003 Annual Scientific Meeting in New York City. He started performing Hair Transplantation in Australia