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The objectives of our foundation are:
- The advancement of research in heart transplantation in relation to xenotransplantation, artificial hearts, and cloning.
- The advancement of education in relation to the causes, prevention, and relief of heart disease.
- The relief of sickness of persons suffering from heart disease.
Although cardiac transplantation in humans was first carried out in 1967, it is only since 1980 that it has been established as an effective treatment for end-stage heart disease.
The registry of the international society for heart transplantation lists more than 40,000 cardiac transplantation procedures performed in more than 297 transplant centres worldwide. The longest survival after a heart transplant is 24 years.
Although heart transplantation is currently a highly successful treatment for selected patients, there are associated problems such as: the availability of donor organs; the limited storage of excised donor hearts; the development of coronary artery vasculopathy; and immunosuppressive drugs complications (infection & cancer).
Alternative methods to heart transplantation from donors need further research to increase the number of therapeutic options available for those patients with end-stage heart failure.
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