Too many people die each year waiting on organ transplant lists, but a new technique could increase the number of available, viable organs. The technique, developed at Harvard, “supercools” the organ while pumping it full of nutrients and oxygen, making it last up to three times longer. That can save a lot of lives.
Currently organs are only considered viable for 24-hours after being harvest from a body. Supercooled organs harvested from animals for the study have shown to be viable for up to three days. The extra time could go a long way to solve one of the major problems with organ donation, getting a donated organ to a recipient in time.
via Geekosystem
Image: North Dakota National Guard
