The solid organ transplantation landscape in Chile: a focus on basic and clinical research

Transplantation in Chile began after the first global experiences, only 10-years separated the world’s first organ transplant from those initiated in Chile. Currently, Chile performs >600 transplants/year, while 2, 000 individuals remain on the waiting list. Advances in Transplantation rely on basic and clinical research, which at the end of the day will impact people’s quality of life and the country’s development as new discoveries and therapies emerge. A clear example of this observation is the link between the excellence and prestige of an academic institution and the country of origin of new discoveries, which at the same time is characterized by a high level of economic resources allocated to science and technology development. Here, we discuss the status of the Chilean Transplantation field, highlighting obstacles and stressing the importance of scientific research for the development of medicine.