Transplantation Immunology

Edited by Fritz H. Bach, M.D., and Hugh Auchincloss, Jr., M.D.

In recent years, transplantation immunology has evolved as a distinct field founded on the recognition that rejection of a transplanted organ or tissue is mediated by immune mechanisms in the host responding to antigens in the donor tissue. This book provides a comprehensive, up-to-date review of current knowledge regarding the specific immune mechanisms which can cause recipients to reject clinical transplants.

The text is divided into four sections: Major and Minor Histocompatibility Antigens, Immunobiology of Graft Rejection, Clinical Transplantation, and Frontiers in Transplantation. The first two sections cover present-day understanding of the genetic controls of immunity as well as the two basic concerns of transplantation immunology, namely donor tissue antigens and the host cellular response. The third section deals with clinical aspects of transplantation, while the fourth looks toward future efforts of scientific research in this field—including advances in tolerance and xenotransplantation. A detailed appendix entitled "Molecular Biology for the Clinician" is included to help make the material accessible to readers of all backgrounds. Authored by a wide range of experts in both clinical and research fields, individual chapters cover such topics as:

• T cell immunity
• Antigen presentation
• Alloreactivity
• Pancreas and islet cell transplantation
• Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation
• Models of tolerance induction
• Xenotransplantation
• The swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) complex

Transplantation Immunology is an ideal teaching text for the fundamental concepts, latest findings, and future directions in this increasingly important field. This volume will appeal to a wide range of clinicians including surgeons and primary-care physicians, as well as scientists in molecular biology and immunology.