Using warm machine perfusion to revive fatty donor livers for transplant
Normothermic perfusion of steatotic livers for transplantation
This project uses warm machine perfusion to restore fatty (steatotic) donor livers so more people needing liver transplants can get usable organs.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11258987 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you're waiting for a liver transplant, many donated livers are turned down because they contain too much fat and work poorly after transplant. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital are keeping donated fatty livers at body temperature and supplying them with oxygen and nutrients using normothermic machine perfusion to try to restore function before transplant. They will measure blood flow, energy recovery, markers of injury, and early transplant outcomes to judge whether perfusion can make more fatty livers safe to use. The aim is to reduce the number of discarded organs and shorten wait times for people needing transplants.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with end-stage liver disease who are on or eligible for a liver transplant waitlist would be the most likely candidates to receive livers treated this way.
Not a fit: People who are not transplant candidates or whose conditions are unrelated to liver failure are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could increase the number of usable donor livers and reduce deaths and waiting time on the transplant list.
How similar studies have performed: Prior reports show normothermic perfusion has cut organ discard rates and rescued some declined livers, but its specific effects on fatty livers are not well established.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Massachusetts General Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Yeh, Heidi — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Yeh, Heidi
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 below.