Extending liver preservation using enhanced supercooling
Official title: Enhanced supercooling for extending non-freezing preservation in preclinical porcine and human donor livers
Funded at Sylvatica Biotech, INC. · NIH-11399995 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new method aims to keep donor livers viable for days longer by supercooling them, potentially helping patients who need a transplant waitlist that’s too short.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sylvatica Biotech, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (North Charleston, United States) |
| Project start | September 17, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $972,116 |
| NIH project number | 5R44DK136457-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11399995 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with end-stage or acute liver failure who are potential transplant candidates and could benefit from longer preservation windows.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not on a transplant list or not eligible for liver transplantation would not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project explores supercooling liver preservation to dramatically extend storage times beyond current 6–10 hours, enabling nationwide donor matching. It builds on prior findings that liquid, ultra-low temperatures can halt deterioration without ice formation, potentially improving availability for patients with acute or end-stage liver failure. The work involves translating early supercooling results from research settings toward clinically applicable protocols and safety standards for human donor livers. If successful, patients could receive transplants sooner or access livers that wouldn’t have met current preservation timelines.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could increase the number of livers available for transplant and reduce waitlist deaths by enabling longer-distance or marginal donor matches.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work by the same group has shown that supercooling can extend preservation time with promising survival outcomes in livers stored below 0°C.
Where this research is happening
-
Sylvatica Biotech, INC.
North Charleston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Taylor, Michael John — Sylvatica Biotech, INC.
- Study coordinator: Taylor, Michael John
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Keeping donated livers usable longer using improved supercooling
This project uses an improved supercooling method to keep donated livers viable for longer so more people who need liver transplants can get better-matched organs.
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Improving liver preservation to extend donor organ availability
This study is looking at a new way to keep donor livers healthy for longer so they can be transported farther, which could help more people who need a liver transplant.
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Improving the preservation of human livers for transplantation
This study is looking at a new way to freeze human livers so they can stay healthy for longer, making it easier to match them with patients who need a transplant, which could help save more lives.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.