Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 11, 2026
An Open-Source Normothermic Perfusion System Designed for Research Scientists
Published on: July 18, 2025
Next-Generation Percutaneous Catheter-Based Closed-Loop Perfusion Concept Enables High-Precision Organ Delivery of
Maximilian Y Emmert1, Johannes Holzmeister2, Ole Blank3
1Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charite, Berlin, Germany; Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Zurich, Schlieren, Switzerland; German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Berlin, Germany.
A new catheter system called locoregional perfusion (LRP) enables targeted delivery of advanced therapies (ATs) directly to organs like the kidney. This method significantly boosts therapeutic concentration in the target organ while minimizing harmful systemic exposure.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Gene Therapy Delivery
- Medical Devices
Background:
- Delivering advanced therapies (ATs) safely and efficiently in vivo is a significant hurdle for clinical use.
- Minimizing systemic exposure to potent therapeutic agents is crucial for patient safety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and validate a novel catheter-based locoregional perfusion (LRP) system for targeted organ delivery of ATs.
- To assess the safety, efficiency, and precision of LRP in minimizing off-target distribution.
Main Methods:
- Developed a fully percutaneous, catheter-based LRP system inspired by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
- Validated the LRP system in porcine models, focusing on isolated kidney perfusion.
- Utilized adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) as model therapeutic cargos to quantify delivery efficiency and retention.
Main Results:
- LRP achieved up to 69,000-fold higher vector retention in the target organ's circulation compared to systemic circulation.
- Demonstrated significantly reduced delivery of AAVs to off-target organs like the liver and spleen.
- Observed up to 75-fold greater gene expression with AAV5, indicating high transduction efficiency.
Conclusions:
- The LRP system provides a feasible, safe, and precise method for organ-specific AT delivery.
- LRP effectively minimizes off-target toxicity, paving the way for next-generation therapies.
- This platform holds potential for delivering various therapeutic agents, including gene therapies, chemotherapy, and pharmaceuticals, to target organs.
