GoKawiilUniversity of Minnesota team revives pig kidneys after a year of cryopreservation
Researchers led by transplant surgeon Erik Finger successfully transplanted pig kidneys that had been frozen for a year, restoring their function in recipient animals. The findings, posted on preprint server bioRxiv, have not yet been peer-reviewed, and the team has not yet shown the organs can sustain life over an extended period.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Outside experts like Peter Kilbride and Korkut Uygun describe the result as a long-sought breakthrough that could eventually allow organs to be banked indefinitely, easing the current 24-to-36-hour preservation window that limits matching donors to recipients. If replicated and extended to human organs, this approach could help address organ shortages and give transplant coordinators far more flexibility, though the lack of peer review and long-term survival data means the technique's real-world impact remains unproven.
- Pig kidneys frozen for a year were successfully transplanted and functioned afterward.
- The research has only been posted as a preprint and hasn't undergone peer review.
- Experts say the achievement could pave the way toward indefinite organ banking, though long-term viability is still unproven.
Source: technologyreview.com — Jessica Hamzelou, 2026-10-15
Published there as: “Pig kidneys that were “frozen” for a year have been brought back to life”
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