Newswise A team funded in part by the National Institute ofBiomedical ImagingandBioengineering(NIBIB) and led by University of Minnesota (UMN) researchers has developed a new method for thawing frozen tissue that may enable long-term storage and subsequent viability of tissues and organs for transplantation. The method, called nanowarming, prevents tissue damage during the rapid thawing process that would precede a transplant. The teams study in the March 1, 2017, issue of Science Translational Medicine, demonstrated how a bath of solution with evenly distributed and magnetized iron-oxidenanoparticles can be heated with electromagnetic waves to quickly and non-destructively thaw larger volumes of solution and tissue than had previously been rewarmed. With additional development, the researchers hope the method can be applied to revolutionize and dramatically improve organ storage for transplants. To make preserved-then-nanowarmed tissues usable, the iron-oxide first must be washed out of the sample. This key element in assuring tissue viability required a novel imaging technique to confirm elimination ofnanoparticles. The research team included NIBIB-funded experts inbiomedical imagingfrom the UMNs Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, who adapted a non-invasive imaging technique, called SWIFT, to study samples following the rewarming process. SWIFT is based onmagnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The underlying goal of the technology is saving lives through transplants. In the United States, more than 100,000 patients are waiting for life-saving organ transplants, and many more could potentially benefit from transplanted organs or tissue. The short preservation time during which donors and recipients must be matched limits optimal screening and some transplantation. Long-term preservation methods would enable screening that could help transplant clinicians find optimal matches for donated organs that would reduce transplantation risks, such as organ rejection.

This cryopreservation study, particularly the contribution of SWIFT technology to the work, was funded in part by NIBIB (EB 015894)

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Nanotechnology Helps Rewarm Fast-Frozen Donor Tissue ... - Newswise (press release)