• Question: how much do you have to suppress the immune system if you have a transplant organ?

    Asked by swim2020 to Carmen, Daniel, Laura, Noel, Steph on 13 Mar 2015.
    • Photo: Carmen Denman

      Carmen Denman answered on 13 Mar 2015:

      Hi swim2020,

      First off, awesome flask photo on your profile. Secondly, I didn’t realise how complex this topic actually was til I started searching online about the topic! I’ve got a photo I found here online that easily describes/depicts the ‘routine’ choice of drugs for adequate immune suppression in transplant patients to avoid tissue rejection.

      http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/432316-overview

    • Photo: Noel Carter

      Noel Carter answered on 16 Mar 2015:

      It depends on all sorts of factors but the main one is how closely matched it is. Our cells have lots of surface molecules that tell our immune system that our cells are us and these are individual. They are recognised by type and shape. The closer you can get for the donors molecules to be like the recipients the better.

      Some people get really lucky and eventually their immune system sees the donor organ as self- this process is known as immune tolerance. If that happens then they can become immunosuppressant free

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