Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 9, 2025
09:09
Isolation of Nuclei from Flash-Frozen Liver Tissue for Single-Cell Multiomics
Published on: December 9, 2022
5.6K
Optimized partial freezing protocol enables 10-day storage of rat livers
Ozge Sila Ozgur1,2, Mclean Taggart1,2, Mohammedreza Mojoudi1,2
1Center for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Scientific Reports
|October 25, 2024
Summary
Optimized partial freezing allows 10-day rodent liver preservation, significantly extending viability beyond current methods. This breakthrough in organ preservation could expand the donor organ pool for transplantation.
Area of Science:
- Organ preservation
- Transplant medicine
- Cryobiology
Background:
- Current organ preservation methods limit transplant viability.
- Partial freezing at -15°C enabled 5-day rodent liver storage but required improvements.
- Increased vascular resistance and tissue edema were observed with the initial partial freezing protocol.
Purpose of the Study:
- To optimize the partial freezing protocol for extended organ preservation.
- To enhance liver viability and function during and after subzero storage.
- To improve upon the limitations of the initial partial freezing method.
Main Methods:
- Optimized partial freezing protocol using increased polyethylene glycol (PEG) concentration for membrane stability.
- Incorporated an acclimation period during cryoprotectant unloading to minimize shear stress.
- Maintained osmotic balance with increased bovine serum albumin (BSA) concentration.
- Evaluated liver viability through oxygen consumption, vascular resistance, and edema measurements.
Main Results:
- Optimized protocol ensured liver viability during preservation and recovery.
- Demonstrated increased oxygen consumption and decreased vascular resistance and edema.
- Achieved 10-day liver storage with preserved vascular resistance and lactate levels comparable to 5-day storage.
- Outperformed time-matched static cold stored (SCS) livers in viability.
Conclusions:
- Optimized partial freezing significantly extends viable organ preservation duration.
- The enhanced protocol overcomes limitations of previous methods, improving organ function post-preservation.
- This advancement has the potential to expand the donor organ pool and revolutionize transplant medicine.
