Transplantation Tolerance

Transplantation tolerance is an immunologic process that allows a patient to accept an organ or tissue transplant without the body rejecting it. It is a critical aspect of the success of donor organ and tissue transplants, allowing the body to function properly without the need for the patient to take immunosuppressants to prevent rejection. Transplantation tolerance is most commonly achieved through a process called immunosuppression, whereby the patient's immune system is weakened and the donor tissue or organ is not attacked by the body. Additional approaches to achieve transplantation tolerance include genetic manipulation of the transplanted tissue or organ, and other techniques such as tolerance induction, adoptive transfer of regulatory T cells, and mixed chimerism. All of these techniques have the potential to provide patients with safer, more successful transplantation outcomes.