S. Zou, F.Comerford, I. Weber
Until Labs, Inc., California, United States
Keywords: Cryopreservation, kidney, organs, transplants
The timing of an organ donation is critical. Most organs remain viable for only hours after procurement — 4–12 for hearts, lungs, and livers; 24–36 for kidneys (Donor Alliance). That constraint shapes the entire system: patients must stay within two hours of their transplant center, surgeons often charter planes to personally pick up the donation, and thousands of organs are lost each year to logistical delays or lack of a timely match. To address logistical hurdles in storing and transporting viable organs, Until Labs is building reversible cryopreservation so that every donated organ with the potential to save a life, can. Our team is pioneering reversible organ cryopreservation technology to rapidly vitrify, store, and rewarm organs, prolonging their viability and availability to patients. Here, we showcase the development of our novel molecular agents, perfusion and surgical protocols, and cooling and rewarming hardware to support reversible cryopreservation of biological systems. This includes a cryoprotective agent (CPA) discovery engine, a custom electromagnet scaled to testing protocols in large animal organs, and protocol optimization to reduce time spent cooling the organ. Future efforts will include protocols that maximize organ quality post cryopreservation.