Could Hibernators Hold The Key To Improving Organ Preservation?
Studies help uncover how hibernating animals adjust their physiology to increase the tolerance of their liver and other organs to very low temperatures April 9, 2003 (San Diego, CA) — Each day about 63 people receive an organ transplant, but another 16 people on the waiting list die because not enough organs are available. Available is the operative word in this shortage of transplantable organs. A donors gift may be available, but the transportation time to the sick patient, coupled with the period that an organ can be safely preserved without damage, may indicate that those on the waiting list are victims of logistics as well as availability. Currently, organs such as the liver or pancreas can be stored for 36 hours, though damage occurs after a day. Hibernating mammals may provide new insights to extend storage times and improve the quality of cold-stored organs. Each winter, hibernators such as ground squirrels and marmots undergo periods of torpor in which body temperature and me
