As part of an NIH-funded project, scientists have tripled the amount of time human livers can be stored for transplantation, giving transplant doctors and patients a much longer timeframe to work with:
Massachusetts General Hospital
Like a glass container broken by frozen water, when cells freeze, they often experience irreparable damage. Since human cells are especially sensitive, donor livers are stored above freezing at 4 degrees Celsius. As a result, doctors can typically only preserve human livers for nine hours before the chances of a successful transplantation drastically decrease.
However, while the techniques worked with the rat livers in those earlier studies, it was unsuccessful when applied to human livers, which are 200 times larger. The size difference significantly increased the risk that ice crystals would start to spontaneously form , making the organ unusable for transplantation. In a paper published in Nature Biotechnology on Sept. 9, Reinier de Vries, M.D., a research fellow in surgery, Shannon Tessier, Ph.D.
Next, the researchers included two additional ingredients to the protective solution to help protect the hepatocytes. The first additive, trehalose, helps to protect the cell as well as stabilize the cell membranes. The second, glycerol, supports the protective properties of the 3-OMG glucose compound added in the previous experiments. Both additives have been used in the cryogenic preservation of cells in the laboratory but had not been used in the preservation of organs for transplantation.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Death of an activist: unsolved murder exposes fraught outlook in MexicoDeath of an activist: unsolved murder exposes fraught outlook in Mexico via RebekahFWard
Read more »
Mom Opens Up About Why ‘Donor’ Does Not Mean ‘Dad’Hear one mom explain how she and her wife went about selecting a sperm donor for their kids, but why he's just that—a donor, not their kids' father.
Read more »
Hula dancing helped native Hawaiians lower their blood pressureScientists challenged participants to take hula lessons to see if it would improve their health.
Read more »
An Anonymous Man Spent $50,000 On Generators To Send To The BahamasThis is how you be a good human.
Read more »
Kanye West Brings Sunday Service Home to Chicago, Chance Joins HimKanye West parts a sea of human to bring Sunday Service to Chicago.
Read more »