**5. Conclusion**

Since the first transplantation was performed much progress has been made in the field of OLT. Indications for liver transplant have evolved to include previously contraindicated conditions such as those with hepatocellular carcinoma and alcohol-related liver disease. All but one (active sepsis outside the biliary system) contraindication to OLT has been eliminated. As a result, more than 200,000 patients have been transplanted, many with excellent long-term success. With indications to transplantation increasing and contraindications waning, many more patients will be transplanted in the future.

The future of liver transplantation will be no less challenging for its practitioners. The main challenge is the shortage of organs, and many strategies are in place to address this problem. In the near future, immunologic discoveries will allow for an immunosuppression-free state of many recipients. This will guarantee better quality of life and similar survival expectancy as non-transplanted patients. Regenerative medicine technology applied to liver transplantation has the potential to meet the two major needs: namely, the identification of a potentially inexhaustible source of livers and an immunosuppression-free state. In the ideal scenario, livers will be manufactured from autologous cells with no need for anti-rejection therapy.
