Pig Kidney Survives Transatlantic Flight

For the first time, a pig kidney preserved at subzero temperatures was successfully transported across the Atlantic Ocean several times. X-Therma’s XT-ViVo organ preservation solution and TimeSeal transportation device were used to extend organ storage and preservation times, showing the potential of the products to make long-distance organ transportation possible.

Led by Gerald Brandacher, MD, a surgical and research team at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, removed a kidney from a pig and transported it on a commercial aircraft to the Medical University of Innsbruck in Austria, where it was assessed on a clinical-grade machine perfusion device and demonstrated viability and functionality.

The team repeated the process five times over 12 months with preservation times ranging from 48 to 72 hours. In addition, they performed a life-supporting transplant in a pig, with the kidney maintaining normal function for 200 days post-transplant after 72 hours ice-free subzero preservation.

Extending organ preservation time could lead to more transplants and more lives saved. The current standard time for kidney preservation is 24 hours.