The development of a rewarming technique which does not cause frozen tissue to shatter or crack is a fundamental step towards being able to cryogenically freeze organs that could be used in transplants later. The innovative procedure which prevented the damage used magnetic nanoparticles.
Iron oxide nanoparticles were mixed with a cryoprotectant solution and infused with pig heart values and blood vessels. After cryogenically freezing the tissue, a electromagnetic coil was used to generate a magnetic field, which caused the nanoparticles to warm the tissue in a rapid and uniform way. The resultant thawed tissue showed no signs of the usual damage caused by reheating.
The ability to freeze and rewarm tissue without causing damage is perceived as an opportunity to develop the technique to entire organs. If entire organs can be safely stored, this could ease the terrible suffering of thousands of patients in dire need of new organs for their survival. At present, the Guardian reports that 60% of hearts and lungs donated for transplantation are discarded each year because the tissues cannot be keep on ice for longer than four hours. A true waste of what is a precious gift given by patient families across the world, in order to save the life of another. This new technology could prevent this type of waste all together.
But hold on to your hats, as the new technique has a long way to go before we see the transplant list start to shrink and disappear. However, despite this, the light at the end of the tunnel just got a little brighter.