The term “biopreservation” covers a family of rapidly advancing technologies aimed at slowing down biological time. In the medical context, biopreservation could be used to extend the viability of human organs for transplantation. This would be achieved through new cryopreservation techniques that can extend organ storage times indefinitely without intracellular ice formation and permit rewarming without tissue destruction.

If successful, biopreservation would transform current organ allocation practices by removing geographic barriers and time constraints, thus allowing for higher quality matches between organs and recipients, fewer organs going to waste, recipient preconditioning, and improved equity in allocation. However, realizing the promise of organ biopreservation will require major changes in the transplantation system and its oversight, including the creation of facilities for organ preservation, storage, and reanimation; additional oversight focused on safety and efficacy; and new ethical guidance.

Join Susan M. Wolf and host Insoo Hyun for a frank discussion of how biopreserved human organs will drive opportunities to improve transplantation and equitable access, while requiring innovation in law, medicine, and ethics. Both Prof. Wolf and Dr. Hyun participate in the National Science Foundation’s Engineering Research Center for Advanced Technologies for the Preservation of Biological Systems (ATP-BioSM).

Featured Speaker: Susan M. Wolf, JD, Professor, Univ. of Minnesota Law School and School of Medicine

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