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
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 605 - 613 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Nature Medicine |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 6 |
Publication status | Published - Jun 2005 |