Hope for successful xenografting by immunosuppression with monoclonal antibody against CD4, total lymphoid irradiation and cyclosporine. Six months' survival of hamster heart transplanted into rat.

Hamster hearts were transplanted to rats, and the effects of combinations of total lymphoid irradiation (TLI), cyclophosphamide, cyclosporine A (CyA) and monoclonal antibodies (MAB) were investigated. Controls not immunosuppressed rejected their xenograft in 3 to 5 days, while combination immunosuppression including MABs against CD4 or IL-2-receptors extended graft survival significantly. In one case, the graft was still functioning 180 days after transplantation, which is the longest survival seen in this model. The use of specific MABs may open a new era for both xeno- and allo-transplantation.