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Transplant Immunosuppression

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Contemporary Kidney Transplantation

Part of the book series: Organ and Tissue Transplantation ((OTT))

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Abstract

Advances in our understanding on the mechanisms of the immune response have led to the development of a wide array of drugs that are commonly used for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, cancer, and organ transplantation. Our knowledge of the immune system has also helped to refine target selectivity which has decreased drug side effects. Since the introduction of calcineurin inhibitors, patient and allograft outcomes in the short term are excellent, but despite the increase in the repertoire of drugs, we have not been able to improve long-term outcomes. Goals for the new drugs that are getting developed are not only to maintain the same excellent short-term outcomes, but also to improve the side effect profile, be easy to use and tolerate, and to improve long-term outcomes. This review will present the main pharmacological agents that are currently used in solid organ transplantation, some of the agents that are in the pipeline, and some of the agents that have been left aside despite potential benefits in transplantation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Nephrology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Maria P. Martinez-Cantarin & Jerry McCauley

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  1. Maria P. Martinez-Cantarin
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  2. Jerry McCauley
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Correspondence to Maria P. Martinez-Cantarin .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Transplant Surgery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Carlo Gerardo B. Ramirez

  2. Department of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Division of Nephrology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Jerry McCauley

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Martinez-Cantarin, M.P., McCauley, J. (2018). Transplant Immunosuppression. In: Ramirez, C., McCauley, J. (eds) Contemporary Kidney Transplantation. Organ and Tissue Transplantation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14779-6_20-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14779-6_20-1

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