Swiss Experts have developed a system that restores damaged donor liver and stores it for seven days. Informed to maintain this body in good condition, it was possible not more than 24 hours. The developers hope their device will allow more people to carry out organ transplants.
it’s No secret that many people in need of a liver transplant can wait for their turn for months. So, in the UK the patient is waiting for such operation an average of 135 days.
this can be Partly explained by the fact that the liver is difficult to maintain in proper form outside the body. Modern equipment allows to support the livelihoods of about 12 hours. In 2019, the research team came up with a way to keep the liver in a day and a half.
Recently, Pierre-Alain Clavien (Pierre-Alain Clavien) from the University of Zurich and his colleagues have developed equipment, thanks to which the liver is kept for seven days. Moreover, during this time, the damaged organ can be restored and prepared for transplantation. Thus, it is not only maintained properly, but also improves their condition.
Equipment can improve the condition unsuitable for organ transplantation.Photo USZ.
the Basis of this technology is a complex perfusion system, which mimics most of the basic functions of the body, allowing to keep the liver.
the Mechanism contributes to reducing the number of compounds associated with injury and inflammation. Equipment supplies the liver with oxygen and nutrients and maintains the necessary pressure, as it occurs in the body. The device also clears the body of wastes.
it is Noted that Clavien and his colleagues have developed this unit for the last four years, performing tests on the liver of pigs. Within poslednegabout the experiment, the scientists used ten human organs that are not suitable for transplantation because of poor condition. Seven days later six of them were viable for transplant.
According to the researchers, the liver cells performed basic functions: supported main energy metabolism and protein production.
System has been tested on the bodies of pigs and humans.Photo USZ.
nevertheless, by the end of the week the weight of the bodies has decreased by about 25%. Researchers do not know exactly why this happened, but I think that it should not adversely affect normal liver function.
overall, this device has several advantages, scientists believe. First, it can work with bodies that were originally considered unsuitable for transplantation and to improve their condition. Second, the equipment will allow you to carry the necessary authority for long distances.
Scientific article on the results of work presented in the publication Nature Biotechnology.
Previously, the authors of the project “Conduct.Science” (nauka.vesti.ru) told me about a new method, which effectively keeps the kidneys from any donor before the transplant. We wrote about the iron nanoparticles, which will help to effectively defrost the organs for transplantation.
Text: To.Science