MIT Technology Review is reporting that a new device developed by Matthew Powell Palm at Texas A&M University and his colleagues could significantly extend the time organs can be preserved for transplantation. Currently, organs are typically kept on ice at around 4 degrees Celsius (39 degrees Fahrenheit) for a matter of hours before they deteriorate and become unusable.
The publication said Powell Palm's team has created a device that allows organs to be cooled to -4 degrees Celsius (25 degrees Fahrenheit) without forming damaging ice. In new research involving pig organs, the team demonstrated that kidneys could be supercooled and preserved in the device for days. Once rewarmed, these organs were successfully transplanted into animals and appeared to perform better than those stored using traditional ice methods. Kevin Myer, president and CEO of LifeGift, an organ procurement organization, called the work "a landmark achievement."
MIT Technology Review said this breakthrough could help address the critical organ shortage crisis. More than 104,000 people are awaiting a kidney transplant in the U.S. alone, and an estimated 17 people die daily while waiting. Many donated kidneys are discarded because they degrade before reaching a recipient, often due to the current 24-hour storage limit for kidneys.
The device works by submerging organs in a common preservation solution within a hermetically sealed chamber, maintaining constant pressure to prevent ice formation. Powell Palm described it as "low-tech high science." Kidneys supercooled for 24 hours immediately produced urine after transplantation, and those stored for 72 hours recovered faster than organs kept on ice for 24 hours. Heidi Yeh, a transplant surgeon at Mass General Brigham for Children, found the results "impressive."
The supercooled organs also showed long-term viability, growing with the pigs over a 30-day period. Powell Palm noted that organs stored for 72 hours performed well for 30 days or more, a first in history. The extended preservation time could provide doctors more flexibility to evaluate organs, match recipients, and transport them, potentially enabling international donations and cheaper transport options. The team believes they may be able to extend storage beyond 72 hours, with preliminary studies showing organs healthy after 120 hours. The simplicity of the device and absence of cryoprotectants could lead to accelerated Food and Drug Administration approval for human trials. Powell Palm and a colleague plan to launch a company to develop the technology.
Full Article: Supercooled kidneys have been transplanted into pigs in a “landmark achievement”