European research on cell and organ transplantation: towards novel opportunities?

Recent developments in basic and translational immunology open new exciting perspectives for clinical cell and organ transplantation, including the development of novel immunosuppressive agents, new diagnostic tools and validation of biomarkers for the prediction of rejection as well as the induction of tolerance. With respect to tolerance, a number of hurdles still need to be overcome before immunosuppressive drugs can be safely minimized or withdrawn in solid organ transplant recipients. Indeed, the human immune system appears more resistant to tolerance induction than expected from experimental studies in animals. Furthermore, the basic ethical principle 'primum non-nocere' prevents the implementation of clinical protocols endowed with a significant risk for graft and/or patient survival. With this background, the European Commission recently launched several initiatives to tackle unmet needs in transplantation medicine. Herein, we focus attention on the ongoing collaborative effort across the European Union aiming at identifying the current priorities requiring better integration of resources dedicated to transplantation research.