A team of researchers has discovered that donated livers placed on machine perfusion systems exhibit signs of biological rejuvenation. By pumping organs with oxygen and nutrients, the process appears to lower the biological age of the tissue, offering a potential explanation for why perfused organs often perform better following transplantation.
The study, conducted by researchers at Mass General Brigham, utilized "aging clocks"—scientific tools designed to measure biological age through DNA chemical patterns and gene expression—to evaluate donated livers. When comparing organs kept on ice to those maintained on perfusion machines for six to 12 hours, the team observed a significant difference. According to coauthor Jesse Poganik, the biological age of perfused livers was approximately 30% lower than that of chronologically younger organs stored in traditional cold conditions.
Transplant surgeon Heidi Yeh, who led the research, noted that the perfusion process appears to influence cell pathways related to tissue structure, inflammation, and the recycling of damaged cellular components. While the biological age of these organs tends to increase once they are transplanted into a recipient due to physiological stress, the rejuvenating effect of the perfusion remains evident.
The findings could lead to new diagnostic tools to assess organ health and potentially new drug therapies to repair organs that might otherwise be discarded. However, experts like Nathanael Raschzok of Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, who was not involved in the study, noted that the clinical implications for older donors remain to be fully understood. Furthermore, the high cost of perfusion technology—which can reach up to $100,000 per organ in the U.S.—remains a significant factor in its widespread adoption.
Despite the costs, the technology has already expanded the pool of available organs. Surgeons are now successfully transplanting livers from older donors and those who have experienced circulatory death, cases that were previously considered too high-risk. "Perfusion has completely changed the landscape of transplantation in the last three years," Yeh stated.
Source: MIT Technology Review
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