2023-06-23 15:00:00
Every year, at least 20,000 people need a transplant. But many transplants cannot be done because the organs cannot be kept on ice for more than a few hours and do not reach the recipients in time. Researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have apparently found the solution to increasing the number of organs available for transplants.
Transplant: kidneys might be “frozen” for 100 days
The team has successfully transplanted a cryopreserved kidney into rats for the first time using a novel nano-warming process. This method uses iron oxide nanoparticles dispersed in a cryoprotectant solution arranged through the blood vessels of the organ. Once activated using electromagnetic waves, these nanoparticles manage to quickly and evenly heat the organ from the inside rather than on its surface. Kidneys from rats preserved in this way were cryogenically stored for 100 days. They were then successfully rewarmed and then transplanted into rats without additional interventions. The experiment was successfully carried out on five rodents.
“In the first two to three weeks the kidneys weren’t fully functional, but following three weeks they recovered. After a month, they were fully functioning kidneys that were completely indistinguishable from transplants of a fresh organ.” explained in a communiqué study co-lead author Erik Finger, a transplant surgeon and professor of surgery at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine,
Transplantation: this preservation method can increase the number of available organs
The potential benefits of long-term cryopreservation for human kidneys are numerous, including increased utilization of donated organs, improved donor-recipient matching, activation of immune tolerance protocols, and improved preparation and planning of procedures. Indeed, this method might offer a promising alternative to traditional preservation, making it possible to store organs for long-term transplants and thus save human lives.
“This is the first time anyone has published a robust protocol for the long-term storage, warming, and successful transplantation of a functional preserved organ into an animal.”said co-lead author John Bischof, professor of mechanical engineering and director of the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Engineering in Medicine. “All our research over more than a decade and that of our colleagues in the field has shown that this process should work, then it might work, but now we have shown that it actually works.“, he congratulates himself.
While scientists acknowledge that it will take several years before a cryopreserved organ is transplanted into humans, they are confident that it might be done successfully in the future. Their work has been featured in the journal Nature Communications.
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