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Tolerance: is it achievable in pediatric solid organ transplantation?
Jonathan P Pearl1, Edwin Preston, Allan D Kirk
1Department of Surgery, National Naval Medical Center, 8901 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20889-5600, USA.
Pediatric Clinics of North America
|January 9, 2004
Summary
Discover active allograft acceptance strategies to prevent organ transplant rejection without long-term immunosuppression. This review covers promising preclinical therapies entering clinical trials, especially for pediatric applications.
Area of Science:
- Immunology and Transplantation
Background:
- Allograft rejection is a complex immunological response.
- Allograft acceptance (tolerance) is an active, regulated process, not merely the absence of rejection.
- Advances in understanding tolerance mechanisms are driving new therapeutic strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current preclinical strategies for preventing allograft rejection.
- To discuss the potential of these therapies to avoid chronic immunosuppression.
- To examine the application and unique considerations of these strategies in pediatric transplantation.
Main Methods:
- Review of preclinical research and emerging clinical trial data.
- Analysis of mechanistic insights into allograft tolerance.
- Discussion of pediatric-specific immunological factors.
Main Results:
- Several preclinical strategies show promise for inducing allograft tolerance.
- These novel therapies aim to eliminate the need for long-term immunosuppressive drugs.
- Childhood immunity presents unique aspects influencing therapeutic success.
Conclusions:
- Active induction of allograft tolerance is a viable therapeutic goal.
- Emerging therapies offer hope for safer, non-immunosuppressive transplant outcomes.
- Pediatric considerations are crucial for translating these advances into clinical practice.