Is immunosuppression necessary?
Immunosuppression therapy is standard for non-neural allograft operations including kidney, pancreas, heart, and liver transplantation. However, experience with human to human transplantation of either brain or retinal cells, suggests that immunosuppressant drugs are not required for graft survival in these relatively immunologically privileged sites [33-36]. Accordingly, in this initial human series we decided to avoid use of systemic immunosuppressive agents and systemic corticosteroids. Topical application of corticosteroids was limited to the immediate post-operative period. It remains for future studies to indicate whether immunosuppression, whether sustained or temporary, will increase the success rate of retinal transplantation. Evidence gathered FROM those studies will help to determine when and if, the danger of side effects outweigh the benefits of such therapy. Is it ethical to use fetal issue tissue for transplantation? We perceive no ethical dilemma in the proper use of fe
