A multidisciplinary Zurich research team has done something that has never been achieved before. The research team Liver4Life has successfully treated an initially damaged human liver in a machine for three days outside of a body and then implanted the recovered organ into a cancer patient. [1]

Figure 1. Scientists successfully transplanted the human liver treated in a machine

Figure 1 shows Current organ preservation methods provide less than 12 hours to assess, transport and implant donor grafts for human transplantation. [2]

In January 2020, the researchers demonstrated for the first time that perfusion technology makes it possible to store a liver outside the human body for several days. They say the perfusion machine mimics the human body as accurately as possible, in order to provide ideal conditions for the liver. For instance, a pump serves as a replacement heart and an oxygenator as the lungs. They used a dialysis unit to perform the functions of the kidneys. [3]

For the intestine and pancreas, the researchers went for numerous hormone and nutrient infusions. The machine moves the liver to the rhythm of human breathing, just as the diaphragm would do in the human body. [2]

From poor to good in three days

The team prepared the liver in the machine with various drugs. In this way, it was possible to transform the liver into a good human organ, even though it was originally not approved for transplantation due to its poor quality. The multi-day perfusion, i.e. the mechanical circulation of the organ, enables antibiotic or hormonal therapies or the optimization of liver metabolism, for example. In addition, lengthy laboratory or tissue tests can be carried out without time pressure. Under normal circumstances, this is not possible because organs can only be stored for 12 hours if they are stored conventionally on ice and in commercially available perfusion machines. [4]

References:

1. https://www.techexplorist.com/world-premiere-scientists-successfully-transplanted-human-liver-treated-machine/47865/
2. https://gadgets360.com/science/news/researchers-develop-machine-human-liver-treatment-outside-body-several-days-doctor-patient-3028435
3. https://hindi.finax.in/researchers-develop-machine-that-can-preserve-human-liver-outside-body-for-several-days/
4. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220531111841.htm

Cite this article:

Thanusri swetha J (2022), Scientists successfully transplanted the human liver treated in a machine, Anatechmaz, pp.61