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Is It Possible To Cryogenically Freeze Organs?

By Joie M Gahum | Update Date: Mar 03, 2017 09:10 AM EST

A new nanoparticle technology, a milestone in cryobiology has been announced this week and may be used to cryogenically freeze organs without damaging heart valves and blood vessel tissues. This study is published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Experts reveal that is now possible to cryopreserve human hearts and kidneys in organ banks and make them available for later use in patients.

CNN reveals the latest achievement in cryobiology early this week, Wednesday, March 2. John Bischof, senior author of the study reveals that promising results are already available for such breakthrough that can help solve the lack of organ donors globally. However, many hurdles are still ahead and his team is not yet done completing their experiments.

Co-author Kelvin G.M. Brockbank, CEO of Tissue Testing Technologies LLC and research professor at Clemson University, however, estimates that it may take them seven to 10 years, at least, to completely perfect the cryogenic freezing of organs for future organ donations. The time market for such kind of technology will require more work and regulatory agencies, which mat not intercede for human tissue banking.

Meanwhile, in other reports from Telegraph UK, it was further elaborated that this current success managed to scale up to larger biological systems and demonstrated successful, fast and uniform warming of preserved tissues without damaging the tissues in the organ. Experts also managed to remove the iron oxide nanoparticles from the samples after the warming of the tissues.

The new study also included a process wherein the researchers warmed 50 milliliters of animal heart valves and blood vessels, a technique that can be further scaled up and used on full human organs. The discovery was a result of the researcher's efforts to preserve and destroy cells and tissue at a ultra-high temperature or at ultra-low temperatures, whichever of the two would prove to be more viable.

Further research and improvements in their processes may eventually help them create a technology that can be adapted to human organs to potentially cryogenically freeze organs and address the global problem in the lack of organ donors for patients.

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