About organ transplantations

The first successful human kidney transplant was performed in 1954 and was the first successful human organ transplant. Since then, the development of effective immunosuppression drugs, coupled with advances in immunology, surgical techniques, donor selection, and postoperative care, have all contributed to improved outcomes for solid organ transplants, which is now an established treatment for organ failure of the kidney, liver, heart, or lung.

Despite these developments, there is still a need for improving immunosuppressive treatment to increase the success rate and raise the quality of life for transplanted patients.

Kidney transplantation, or renal transplantation, is the transplantation of a kidney into a patient with end-stage renal disease. Conditions leading to end-stage organ failure include diabetic nephropathy and hypertensive kidney disease (for kidney transplants) and chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and biliary atresia (for liver transplants).

In 2009, over 50,000 organ transplants were conducted in the US, Japan, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The compound annual growth rate for the organ transplant market is forecasted to be more than 2% during 2010 through 2020.