Human-scale organ cryopreservation

Can a human-sized whole organ be cooled into an ice-free, glass-like state, stored very cold, then warmed and work after transplantation?[1] [2]

A donated kidney or liver would be more useful for planned transplantation if it could be stored and later recover its function. Can that be achieved for a human-sized whole organ with its blood-vessel network intact? Vitrification cools the organ into an ice-free, glass-like state. Cryoprotectants help prevent ice, but loading and removing these chemicals can injure cells. Cooling and rewarming must also avoid damaging temperature differences throughout the organ.[1] [2]

Rat kidneys have survived this process. Warming large amounts of protective liquid is also possible, but keeping a whole larger organ alive through chemical treatment and warming is a separate test.[1] [2]

Rat-kidney transplants were followed for 30 days after storage of up to 100 days. The 2025 liter-scale study established physical liquid-volume scaling, not rewarmed porcine-liver function. Toxicity, nonuniform delivery and thermomechanical stress remain coupled constraints.[1] [2]

Stored organs could allow more time to match a donor with a recipient.[1] [3]

An organ bank would let preservation and allocation happen on different schedules. A donated organ could be kept while a suitable recipient is identified and surgery prepared, rather than forcing every decision into a short storage window. That possibility depends on recovering organ function after the complete chemical, cooling and warming process. The rat transplant and liter-scale physical studies do not yet demonstrate this benefit for human recipients.[1] [2] [3]