A study published in Transplantation on 25 September 2026 describes an open-source normothermic organ perfusion platform costing approximately $2,000 to construct. Heiko Yang and colleagues developed the system using readily available, repurposed and low-cost components.
The platform supported perfusion of porcine kidneys and nontransplantable human donor kidneys, pancreases and spleens for up to 24 hours, with evidence of function and viability. Porcine kidneys also demonstrated function after autotransplantation, with animals surviving for 30 days.
Assessing an organ after its return to the body gives these experiments particular value. Function during perfusion and function after transplantation are both relevant to judging the quality of organ support.
Why this direction interests BHOC Transplant
BHOC Transplant focuses on oxygen delivery and metabolic support across the organ journey. Accessible ex vivo platforms could help researchers investigate how oxygen-carrier properties, perfusate composition, temperature and blood flow influence tissue oxygenation and organ function.
For BHOC, Biological Hemoglobin Oxygen Carrier, we believe such systems could provide a practical setting for controlled, organ-specific studies. These studies should measure oxygen delivery and consumption, microvascular responses, metabolic activity and tissue injury alongside organ function.
The reported experiments used blood-based perfusates. Future evaluation of BHOC would require separate comparative studies with a characterized formulation and defined endpoints.
This work offers a useful research direction: making functional organ studies more accessible and connecting what happens during perfusion with what happens after transplantation.
Source
Yang H. et al. Development and Validation of an Ultra-low-cost, Open-source Normothermic Ex Vivo Organ Perfusion Platform. Transplantation. Published online 25 September 2026. PMID: 42789778.