Donated livers can be made biologically younger

Scientists have discovered that donated livers can be biologically rejuvenated, even when they have been outside the body. The research, shared with MIT Technology Review, suggests that organs preserved on perfusion machines—a method where livers are kept warm and supplied with nutrients and waste removal—appear younger at a molecular level.

Traditional methods of storing organs on ice immediately begin the degradation process, and surgeons have only a limited window to transplant them. However, perfused organs have a more favorable biological age, making them more likely to succeed in transplants. The study, led by transplant surgeons Heidi Yeh and Alban Longchamp at Mass General Brigham, used "aging clocks" to measure the biological age of donated livers.

These clocks assess the chemical marks on DNA, which change as an organ or person ages. Surprisingly, perfused livers showed a lower biological age than non-perfused livers, even when the latter were younger in age. These findings could open up new avenues for testing the health of donated organs and potentially improving the success rate of transplants using previously discarded organs.

Jesse Poganik, a researcher at Brigham and Women's Hospital, emphasizes the potential of this discovery, stating that improving the utilization of organs could be a major win. However, further research is needed to determine the implications of these findings for transplant recipients, especially for organs from older donors.