Considering the length of time patients have to wait for a liver transplant thanks to factors such as high demand versus limited supply, the problem is compounded by the number of livers that are rejected as “unsuitable for transplant.” In search of a solution, scientists from the University of Birmingham and Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham are investigating whether or not the rejected livers can be viable again with help from a liver perfusion machine.

By using a normothermic liver perfusion machine, the research team hopes to demonstrate that it can maintain the liver at body temperature while supplying organs with oxygenated blood, nutrients and medications, as would happen in the body. Such a feat would mean an increased number of available organs for transplantation as well as serving to shorten the recipient waiting list. If successful, patients participating in the study will receive the treated livers.

Making rejected livers viable again isn’t the only benefit of incorporating the liver perfusion machine into the liver transplant process.

Hynek Mergental, one of the scientists and surgeons behind the project, said: “Another benefit of the machine perfusion is the possibility to keep the livers up to 24 hours outside the human body, extending the times by two to three folds compared to ice-box storage. This would make the logistics of a transplant much easier, allowing surgical teams to be prepared and ready and ultimately make the whole process safer for the recipient patient.”