Photo AI
Accident victim’s fingers saved, stored and transplanted onto other hand Doctors have successfully transplanted the fingers of a man’s severed hand in the first operation of its kind in Australia - HSC - SSCE Biology - Question 12 - 2002 - Paper 1
Question 12
Accident victim’s fingers saved, stored and transplanted onto other hand Doctors have successfully transplanted the fingers of a man’s severed hand in the first ope... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Accident victim’s fingers saved, stored and transplanted onto other hand Doctors have successfully transplanted the fingers of a man’s severed hand in the first operation of its kind in Australia - HSC - SSCE Biology - Question 12 - 2002 - Paper 1
Step 1
Why was there no tissue rejection in the man described in the above paragraph?
Answer
The absence of tissue rejection in the transplanted fingers is primarily attributed to the fact that the antigens present on the man’s left hand fingers were the same as those on his right hand. This compatibility in antigens allows the immune system to recognize the transplanted tissues as self rather than foreign, thus preventing an immune response that would typically lead to rejection.
This mechanism underscores the importance of antigen compatibility during transplantation procedures, highlighting that successful transplants often rely on the matching of donor and recipient tissues to minimize or avoid rejection.