Current trends in transplant immunology.

Recent advances in transplant immunology are wide ranging. These include the testing of new approaches to tolerance induction by the interruption of co-stimulatory pathways, the analysis of molecular events underlying the development of chronic rejection, efforts to increase the donor pool by consideration of the role of brain death in donor-dependent outcomes of allografting, and progress towards renal xenografting. In addition, current molecular approaches are paramount to understanding key events from ischemia/reperfusion injury and the role of apoptosis in remodelling of the host immune response to an allograft. Important papers relevant to the field from the past year are reviewed with an eye to clinically relevant new data involving renal transplantation.