Homotransplantation

Homotransplantation, or hetero-transplantation (from ancient Greek ὁμο- - “similar” and Latin transplantatio - “transplantation”), is the transplantation of tissue from one organism into an organism of another of the same species in order to save the life of the recipient (to restore the functions of a damaged organ or compensate for the loss of an organ).

The first successful experiment in transplanting the same animal's own tissues (intrinsic homotransplantation) was carried out by Wilhelm Hanmann and Werner Kölcher on March 30, 1956 during heart transplant operations. In this case, limbs were used from a dog with a functionally healthy heart, which was transplanted into the same dog. One's own organ was considered reliable, since the donor and recipient organisms belonged to the same individual. Subsequently, the use of this method was considered undesirable, and until the 70s of the twentieth century, scientific interest in homotransplantation experiments was relatively low.

Today, research is being conducted in many countries regarding homotransplantation for internal organ transplants. This primarily uses the recipient's immune system, but in some cases such transplants are successful despite this. Scientists are trying to improve surgical techniques and restore the donor's immune system in order to increase the likelihood of success with this technique.