Pioneering transplant doc Sir Roy dies at 93

PROFESSOR Sir Roy Calne, who led the first liver transplant operation in Europe, has died at the age of 93.

- Emily Braeger

The pioneering surgeon headed that team at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge in 1968 and went on to be the first doctor to use an immunosuppressant in 1978, which was found to be effective in reducing organ rejection.

The Royal Society, the oldest independent scientific academy, said Sir Roy performed a series of surgical "world firsts" and his transplants offered thousands of people with end-stage liver disease normal lives.