Each year, hundreds of thousands of people are affected by diseases which result in the need for transplantation and tens of thousands of people receive transplants. More than 60,000 Americans die each year from liver failure. When bone marrow transplantation is successful, it is curative for leukemia, immumodeficiency, sickle cell anemia, and certain metabolic disorders. In 1992, more than 32,000 organ transplants were performed worldwide and nearly half of those were done in the United States. These transplants, collectively, involved every major organ.
Immunologic rejection is a major barrier to successful transplantation.
Although there are still many problems confronting transplant physicians and scientists, transplantation has provided a unique opportunity to learn more about the human immune system and has improved our understanding and treatment of immunologic diseases.