Tissue Transplantation

Abstract

The present state of knowledge with regard to factors modifying acceptance or rejection of tissue transplantation between individuals of the same species is reviewed. The rejection of a tissue transplant does not appear to be entirely individual specific as was previously thought to be the case. Rejection of transplanted tissue appears to descend from the formation of antibodies of an ill-defined nature, stimulated in the recipient by exposure to antigen of the donor. The antigenic disparity between donor and recipient determines whether and how long a tissue transplant may survive. The ability of the recipient to react against the donor antigens is also a factor and this may be modified by drugs or X-irradiation which tends to decrease the recipient''s antibody-forming potential. Kidney transplantation has been successfully accomplished between human identical twins and, in 3 instances, between twins who were not identical. Prolonged survival of human homografts in non-related individuals has been accomplished where the antigenic disparity was not great and where X-irradiation was used to modify the recipient''s response. Successful transplantation of human kidneys is not as yet a feasible procedure.