PERSPECTIVE: The cold chain delivery of organs for transplantation: from research laboratories and individual enthusiasts to pan-global networks in 50 years

Abstract

It is some 50 years since the first published reports appeared of ex vivo preservation of organs for transplantation. Over the intervening decades, organ preservation strategies have become one essential component of world-wide clinical transplant services. In the formative years, translational research in organ hypothermic preservation was grappling with the questions about whether static or dynamic storage was preferable, and the practical implications of those choices. Those studies were also informing the newly expanding clinical transplant services. During the middle years, both preservation modalities were practiced by individual group choices. By the 2000???s, the shift in donor demographics demanded a re-evaluation of organ preservation strategies, and now a new era of research and development is promoting adoption of new technologies. In this review we outline many important academic studies which have contributed to this successful history, and give profile to the increasing innovative approaches which are being evaluated for the future.