Organs run out of energy when they are between donors and recipients, but an electric field could keep them running.
By Clare Wilson.
There are images of tissue damage in human donor kidneys without electrical treatment and less damage with treatment.
W. Chen and his team wrote Science Translational Medicine.
Electricity can help keep biological tissues functioning while stored in ice, a finding that could help boost the number of successful kidney transplants.
The approach seems to work in mice given transplants and in human kidneys that are kept for 24 hours.
It could be used on other transplants and tissues with low blood supply.
Join us for a mind-blowing festival of ideas and experiences. New Scientist Live is going hybrid, with a live in-person event in Manchester, UK, that you can also enjoy from the comfort of your own home, from 12 to 14 March 2022. Find out more.Some kidneys don't function well after the surgery because they are damaged from lack of oxygen during transport.
Low oxygen stops the production of a compound called adenosine triphosphate, which normally powers a pump on the surface of the cells, which keeps the levels of sodium and potassium high inside the cells. The cells swell and are damaged by the shutdown.
Many of the pumps are sensitive to electrical fields, and the group has found a way to restart them.
In order to test the approach, the researchers gave 10 mice a transplant and stored the organs in cold saline. Seven of the mice that were given the electrical treatment had more than 50 per cent better kidney function than the mice that didn't.
Five pairs of human kidneys that had been donated but weren't in a good enough condition to use, were also tested. Each pair had four electrodes placed on it while it was on ice. The cells of the treated kidneys were less damaged when viewed under a microscope.
If you make transplants last longer, fewer people will return to the waiting list.
Science Translational Medicine is a journal.
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