Transforming medicine through organ and tissue preservation

Rabin and collaborators discuss the promise of organ and tissue preservation to transform medicine

Lisa Kulick

Jun 7, 2017

Carnegie Mellon University's Professor of Mechanical Engineering Yoed Rabin was among the authors of a paper titled "The promise of organ and tissue preservation to transform medicine," published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

Globally, millions of lives could be saved or improved each year through an on-demand ability to replace organs and tissues.

A cryopreserved heart valve without damage from ice crystals.

Source: Department of Mechanical Engineering

A cryopreserved heart valve without damage from ice crystals.

“The shortage of organs for transplantation is a public health crisis," Rabin said. "The gap between the current state of the art and the technology needed for cryopreservation is one that an orchestrated effort between cryobiologists and mechanical engineers can bridge.”

The piece discusses the need for an integrated approach from reseachers, clinicians, and other stakeholders to address the unmet need for preservation advances.

Another of the piece's authors, Michael Taylor, serves as an adjunct professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon.

The shortage of organs for transplantation is a public health crisis

Yoed Rabin, Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University

For more information, read the full article: “The promise of organ and tissue preservation to transform medicine,” Nature Biotechnology 35, 530–542; doi:10.1038/nbt.3889.