Article
The last century saw the birth and development of a medical science, transplantology, which for centuries had been viewed as a mirage by most people: replacing the function of an organ that had been irreparably lost, through disease or trauma, in an otherwise healthy body seemed an unattainable goal.
In 1954, Murray’s first successful kidney transplant in the US, performed on identical twins, not only earned him the Nobel Prize, but also paved the way for a frenetic expansion of surgical techniques and immunological and pharmacological discoveries. Over 70 years later, transplantation of not only kidneys but all transplantable organs and tissues has become a consolidated clinical reality, one of the most fascinating in modern medicine.
Italy has not stood idly by. In May 1966, exactly 60 years ago, after meticulous experimental preparation, a team led by Professor Paride Stefanini performed the first successful kidney transplant in Italy. This was a delay compared to the American and global experience, due solely to the lack of a legal definition permitting the procurement of organs from deceased donors. That same year, realizing the unique nature of transplantation, which offered a new therapeutic option for patients with end-stage organ failure, the need to found a new scientific society emerged. Thus was born the Italian Society of Organ Transplantation (SITO), founded by Professors Paride Stefanini and Raffaello Cortesini on a hot July afternoon in 1966. They invited 29 people, including Pietro Valdoni, Ruggero Ceppellini, Ulrico Bracci, Gioacchino Nicolosi, Ettore Ruggieri, Piero Confortini, Piero Mazzoni, Beniamino Tesauro, and Carlo Casciani, to the small hall of the Second Surgical Clinic. The Society’s objectives were briefly described in Article 2 of its Bylaws, which states: “SITO is a non-profit organization and aims to promote knowledge and the implementation of organ and tissue transplantation”.
Since then, through 48 National Congresses and with over 1,200 members from various branches of transplantology, SITO has contributed to the development of scientific research and the professional training of many young specialists. SITO, originally a Society focused primarily on the surgical and nephrological aspects of kidney transplantation, has since expanded its range of transplant services, attracting and engaging all professionals – physicians, technicians, and nurses — involved at various levels in transplantation.
In this spirit, on the 60th anniversary of its founding and the 60th anniversary of the first kidney transplant, it was decided to bring together in this issue of the European Journal of Transplantation, SITO’s official journal, a revised and updated experience inspired by a paper presented by Prof. Schena at the 40th SITO Congress in Rome in 2016, which summarized all the milestones in Italian transplantation with the key players in this journey.
Together with Prof. Ugo Boggi, Past President of SITO and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal, and Prof. Francesco Paolo Schena, we have expanded, completed, and commemorated several stages in the development of the various Italian Transplant Centers and the Centro Nazionale Trapianti (CNT), which has supported various institutional and organizational phases of transplant activity over the years. To this end, we have requested from all Directors of Italian Centers over the past two years data, news, and even iconographic images that would commemorate the various stages of development of the various Centers. This volume, based primarily on historical contributions that the Centers have reposted after repeated requests, is intended to be a commemorative document of a complex endeavor that over the years has brought Italian medicine to the forefront of the world in terms of volume of activity, quality of results, and drive for technological and scientific innovation.
History
Received: April 30, 2026
Accepted: April 30, 2026
