Transplantation immunology 1957-1975.

Knowledge of the transplantation immunity has increased rapidly in the past twenty years. The rejection of allograft is now known to involve the interaction of several subsets of lymphocytes, as well as humoral immunity. Efforts to suppress immunity to the allograft are effective but suppress other kinds of immunity also, thus rendering the recipient susceptible to opportunistic infections. Two approaches to modification of the immune response by impairing the ability of cells sensitized specifically against allograft antigen to kill such cells are described. These agents can and have been used therapeutically in humans for other reasons and have been shown in the laboratory to actually markedly prolong the life of renal allograft, without impairing the immune response to other antigens.