Scientists from the University of Minnesota have performed the first successful transplant of an organ previously frozen at minus 150 degrees, reports Vc.ru with reference to Stat.
The experiment was carried out on laboratory rats. The previously frozen kidneys were transplanted to the animals. Before the operation, the organs were thawed and heated to the desired temperature. Several years have been spent on the technology of heating frozen tissues without damaging them.
The thawed and transplanted kidneys functioned more slowly for several days than those transplanted by the usual method, but after three weeks their work was fully restored.
Works with transplantation of organs frozen at extremely low temperatures will be continued with other animals.
Experiments with transplantation of frozen organs to humans, scientists plan to begin in 1-2 years. If these experiments turn out to be successful, the technology of organ transplantation will reach a new level, thanks to the possibility of long-term storage of organs intended for transplantation in liquid nitrogen. Currently, the storage of an organ for transplantation varies from 4-6 hours to a day.
