Pig kidneys cooled to -150 °C and stored in a freezer for months—up to over a year in one case—have been successfully rewarmed and shown to function again for the first time. After rewarming, the organs regained color and produced urine in machines and in pig transplants, key signs of restored function. Erik Finger, a transplant surgeon at the University of Minnesota who co-led the research, said he initially doubted the approach would work but now calls it a 'big deal.' The study, shared on bioRxiv and not yet peer-reviewed, represents a milestone in organ cryopreservation.
Experts like Peter Kilbride of Kyros Kairos and Korkut Uygun of Harvard Medical School praised the breakthrough as enabling true, indefinite organ banking. Currently, human organs can only be preserved for 24 to 36 hours, limiting transplant access and contributing to organ shortages. Long-term organ banking could improve matching, reduce rejection risks by preparing recipients’ immune systems in advance, and alleviate pressure on transplant timelines.
The method uses vitrification to turn organs into a glass-like state, aided by cryoprotectants and iron oxide nanoparticles that allow uniform rewarming via electromagnetic fields. While the kidneys are not yet proven to sustain life long-term, the success marks a critical step toward banking human organs for future transplantation.
Source: MIT Technology Review · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing