Supercooled Kidneys: A Breakthrough in Organ Transplantation
In an innovative study, Powell-Palm and her team conducted tests on supercooled kidneys by first removing each kidney from a donor pig. The organs were treated with a specialized solution to remove blood, similar to what is used in organ transplants. Some kidneys were placed on ice for two or 24 hours to replicate standard human transplant conditions, while others were subjected to the supercooling machine for 24, 48, or 72 hours.
After preservation, each kidney was reimplanted into its original donor pig, which had its second kidney removed via the same protocol, leaving the animal with just the preserved kidney.
Remarkably, kidneys that underwent 24 hours of supercooling began producing urine immediately after transplantation, a crucial indicator of healthy kidney function. Additional tests showed that the kidneys functioned normally within approximately 10 days post-transplant.
Provided by: Texas A&M University, Powell Palm Research Institute, Ronald Sellers
This restoration is slower than kidneys kept on ice for two hours but significantly faster than those stored on ice for 24 hours, according to Powell-Palm.
Kidneys preserved for 48 and 72 hours exhibited similar performance levels. “Even at the three-day mark, which surpasses the clinical standard by three times, we are recovering faster than before,” he said, expressing excitement about this advancement compared to established methods that have been in use for 30 years.
Heidi Yeh, a transplant surgeon at Massachusetts General Brigham for Children and an expert in organ preservation techniques, praised the results, stating, “Often, kidneys are stored for up to 48 hours and can take 1-2 weeks to regain function.”
Growing Organs: Long-Term Benefits of Supercooling
Not only do supercooled kidneys show promise for immediate function, but they also appear to thrive in the long term. In 30 days, the pig in the study grew approximately 30%, with kidneys nearly doubling in size to accommodate the pig’s growth and the absence of a second kidney. Researchers monitored one pig for an extended period of 200 days, later removing and analyzing its kidney, which retained a healthy appearance even at that stage.
The findings were presented at the recent American Transplant Conference in Boston, highlighting the significance of these breakthroughs.
Furthermore, earlier this year, Canadian researchers demonstrated that pig kidneys can be cooled to sub-zero temperatures and successfully transplanted into pigs. Their study employed cryoprotectants, allowing organs to be stored for up to 48 hours before transplantation, with a remarkable survival rate of one week.
Source: www.technologyreview.com