In the past 50 years, organ transplantation has developed from an improbable laboratory exercise to a major therapeutic success. The surgical problems of organ grafting have, for the most part, been solved. Rejection of grafts is now partially understood and usually controllable by powerful immunosuppressive drugs. A steady improvement in patient outcome, especially following the introduction of cyclosporin as an immunosuppressive agent has resulted in a worldwide shortage of organs for transplantation. This has provoked serious ethical dilemmas in every country. These matters are summarised in the following text.
Biomedical Research
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Cyclosporine
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pharmacology
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Graft Rejection
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drug therapy
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prevention & control
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Humans
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Immunosuppression
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Immunosuppressive Agents
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pharmacology
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Transplants
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ethics