Allograft rejection results from a failed attempt by the immune system to protect foreign tissue

The focus of our research is to understand the immune response to foreign tissue. We believe that a dichotomy exists within the immune response to an allograft such that part of the response is dedicated to the protection of the graft. Nevertheless, in a dominantly graft-aggressive environment, rejection typically ensues. In this article, we describe models that have been set up to test directly the ability of potentially protective aspects of the immune response to prevent allograft rejection. We discuss our data in the context of a growing body of exciting and often controversial literature.