Longer-lasting kidney storage using nature-inspired cold techniques
Official title: New approaches to kidney banking through nature-inspired high sub-zero preservation strategies
Funded at Expanse Bio LLC · NIH-11174497 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is developing ways to keep donated kidneys safely preserved for a week or more so more people waiting for transplants can get better-matched organs.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Expanse Bio LLC NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (North Charleston, United States) |
| Project start | August 5, 2019 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $852,392 |
| NIH project number | 5R44DK117801-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11174497 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with end-stage kidney disease on the transplant waitlist who are eligible for deceased-donor transplantation would be the eventual beneficiaries and potential candidates for related clinical trials.
✕Less likely to help
People without kidney failure or those who are not transplant candidates because of active infection, uncontrolled illness, or other contraindications would not directly benefit from this work.
What this research studies
Researchers are creating preservation methods that hold kidneys at very cold but nonfreezing temperatures using ideas inspired by animals that survive extreme cold. The team has shown promising results in animal kidneys and aims to adapt and scale the approach for human-donor organs. Longer storage would let organs travel farther, allow deeper screening and treatments before transplant, and give clinicians time to try immune-tolerance approaches that could reduce lifelong immunosuppression. Organs that are not used for transplant could also be sliced and shared for drug testing and other research to improve future treatments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could increase the number of usable donor kidneys, improve donor–recipient matching, and enable treatments that reduce long-term immunosuppression.
How similar studies have gone: Early feasibility work in rabbit kidneys has shown unprecedented multi-day preservation, but applying these high sub-zero methods to human organs is still a new and developing approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Expanse Bio LLC
North Charleston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Weegman, Bradley P — Expanse Bio LLC
- Study coordinator: Weegman, Bradley P
Related research
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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.