Renal transplantation: An overview

Abstract

In the past two decades, organ transplantation has become established as effective therapy for end-stage renal, hepatic, cardiac and pulmonary disease. The combination of dialysis techniques and allograft transplantation has led to kidney transplant operations being vastly greater than other transplant procedures. Patients can freely move back and forth between dialysis and transplantation, so that life does not depend on only one form of treatment. Other advances include Peter Medawar's description of second set reactions and his insights into cellular immunology. The close collaboration of pharmaceutical companies such as Burroughs-wellcome and clinical researchers such as Roy Calne led to the development of azathioprine, which made possible kidney transplantation in non-related individuals.