Dorothy Haggard Discusses Project COOLER on KPR’s Research Matters Podcast
Dorothy Haggard, a graduate student researcher with the Shiflett Research Group at the KU Wonderful Institute for Sustainable Engineering (WISE), was recently featured on Kansas Public Radio’s Research Matters podcast to discuss Project COOLER (Cryopreservation of Organs using Low Effect Refrigerants).
This article originally appeared on the Kansas Public Radio website.
At the University of Kansas, Project COOLER is working toward a future where donated kidneys can be stored instead of transplanted within a few hours. The team is building a system that cools whole kidneys quickly and evenly, turning the liquid inside them into a glass-like state (vitrification) without forming damaging ice. Researchers use safer refrigerants, computer models and tests with pig kidneys to improve the process. The kidneys can later be rapidly rewarmed using tiny iron particles activated by radio waves. If successful, this work could make organ banking possible, reduce the number of donated kidneys that are discarded and help more patients receive lifesaving transplants.
Project COOLER could help Kansas and Midwestern transplant centers preserve donated kidneys longer, giving medical teams more time to match organs with patients, plan surgeries and transport kidneys across rural distances. Better preservation could reduce the number of organs discarded because they cannot reach a recipient quickly enough. This may expand transplant access for people living far from major hospitals and reduce the stress and cost of emergency scheduling. The project also develops lower-impact cooling fluids, supporting goals for safer, cleaner technology. In time, organ banking could strengthen local healthcare, create biotechnology jobs and help Midwestern families receive lifesaving care.
Click below to listen to Dorothy Haggard discuss Project COOLER on KPR’s Research Matters.