title: Organ transplantation--how much of the promise has been realized?
abstract: Since the introduction of organ transplantation into medical practice, progress and optimism have been abundant. Improvements in immunosuppressive drugs and ancillary care have led to outstanding short-term (1--3-year) patient and graft survival rates. This success is mitigated by several problems, including poor long-term (>5-year) graft survival rates, the need for continual immunosuppressive medication and the discrepancy between the demand for organs and the supply. Developing methods to induce transplant tolerance, as a means to improve graft outcomes and eliminate the requirement for immunosuppression, and expanding the pool of organs for transplantation are the major challenges of the field.
authors.affiliation: Guy's King's and St. Thomas's Medical School, King's College London, Hodgkin Building, Guy's Campus, London SE1 9RT, UK.
authors.forename: Robert I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Lechler
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sykes
authors.forename: Angus W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.forename: Laurence A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Turka
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016377:Organ Transplantation; D013601:T-Lymphocytes; D019737:Transplants / Q000600:supply & distribution
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents