Transplantation of discordant xenografts: a review of progress

Abstract

Hyperacute rejection, apparently initiated by natural antibodies and complement, has been viewed as an absolute barrier to the xenotransplantation of vascularized grafts between different species. Until recently, little was known about the molecular and physiological basis for this barrier nor was there evidence that the barrier might be more than transiently breached. In this paper Jeffrey Platt, Fritz Bach and colleagues describe a model of hyperacute rejection and propose that, if hyperacute rejection can be averted for a period after transplantation, prolonged xenograft survival will be possible.