Costimulation blockade in pig artery patch xenotransplantation – a simple model to monitor the adaptive immune response in nonhuman primates

Background CD154-blockade-based immunosuppression successfully prevents both humoral and cellular adaptive immune responses in baboons receiving α1,3-galactosyltransferase gene-knockout (GTKO) pig organs. Using a GTKO pig artery transplantation model in baboons, we evaluated the efficacy of CD28/B7 costimulatory pathway blockade in comparison to CD154-blockade.