Microbiology and Immunology 3300B Lecture : Immunology Notes
20 Feb 2012
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Document Summary
Organ transplantation: the scientific understanding of immunological tolerance started with the field of clinical organ transplantation. In the 1930s, the dogma was that human organ transplantation was impossible, because the basis of individuality lay deep within every cell in the body. These beliefs were based on the work of sir peter medawar. If cells from one experimental animal are injected into a second, they will be recognized and destroyed by the immune system (resistance of host to graft). The second time they are injected they will be recognized and destroyed more rapidly. However, if cells from an experimental animal are injected into a newborn recipient, not only are they not destroyed, but for the rest of its life that animal will not recognize or destroy cells from the donor animal. Kidney transplantation: in the 1940s, doctors began performing kidneys transplants despite the dogma, because the procedure had clinical benefit to the recipients (at least temporarily).
