Sir Roy 'one of the transplant giants' - colleague

A former colleague of pioneering surgeon Sir Roy Calne has paid tribute to him, describing him as "one of the giants of transplantation".

Prof Sir Roy died at the age of 93 of heart failure on Saturday.

He carried out the UK's first successful liver transplant operation at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge in 1968.

Retired surgeon Prof John Wallwork, who is now chairman of Royal Papworth Hospital in the city, said Sir Roy was one of the surgeons who "put liver transplantation on the map".

Sir Roy and Prof Wallwork collaborated in December 1986 to perform the world’s first heart-lung and liver transplant at what was then called the Papworth Hospital, based in Papworth Everard.

Former consultant Prof Wallwork said: "Roy Calne was one of the giants of transplantation.

"He began transplantation at a time when people didn't really know much about how to stop organs from being rejected."

"Roy was very aware he was a pioneer," recalled Prof Wallwork.

"Of course at that stage you can do new things more easily than you can now.

"He had a very, very powerful personality and I think he obviously had to weather a lot of storms around him.

"Without him and others doing liver transplantation, you wouldn't have transplantation as a routine way of treating people with liver failure."

Sir Roy was the first to use drugs to help stop the rejection of donated organs, leading to a major expansion of organ grafting worldwide.

Several of the immunosuppressive drugs used today to help curb rejection, which can be a fatal complication, were introduced by him.

"Roy was a giant in the transplant world and an innovative surgeon," said Prof Wallwork.

"On behalf of Royal Papworth Hospital my thoughts and best wishes are with the Calne family."

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