The invention provides, in various embodiments, systems, devices and methods relating to ex-vivo organ care. In certain embodiments, the invention relates to maintaining an organ ex-vivo at near-physiologic conditions. The present application describes a method for using lactate measurement in the arterial and the venous blood lines of the Organ Care System Heart perfusion device to evaluate the: 1) The overall perfusion status of an isolated heart and 2) The metabolic status of an isolated heart and 3) the overall vascular patency of an isolated donor heart. This aspect of the present invention uses the property of myocardial cell's unique ability to produce/generate lactate when they are starved for oxygen and metabolize/utilize lactate for energy production when they are well perfused with oxygen.

A method for organ and tissue chimerization using bone marrow cellular treatment, which avoids rejection of transplanted organs and diminishes or suspends the use of immunosuppressant drugs in patients subjected to transplant procedures. The method comprises washing the organ in an electrolyte solution. A further step of washing the organ in a wash solution. The organ is then placed in a culture solution and incubated with bone marrow cells.

The invention relates generally to methods of improving function of a transplanted organ, treating or preventing primary graft dysfunction of a transplanted organ, treating or preventing acute rejection of a transplanted organ, treating or preventing delayed graft function, or achieving a clinical endpoint indicative of a successful organ transplant in a recipient of the transplanted organ which comprise contacting blood from the recipient with an extracorporeal membrane having a plurality of pores having an average pore size of at least 40 kDa, 50 kDa or 60 kDa to permit inflammatory cytokines and other inflammatory molecules to pass through the pores and out of the blood that is returned back to the recipient.

The invention relates to an artificial womb system for supporting newborns, in particular extremely premature infants between the 21/0 and 28/0 week of pregnancy, comprising the following: a chamber (1) of the artificial womb, said chamber being formed by an at least partially ultrasound-permeable wall (2) and comprising a lumen (14) for maintaining a physiologically intraamnial pressure and for receiving the artificial amniotic fluid (15) and a newborn or a premature infant, at least one access for supplying the premature infant in the artificial womb with nutrients, a dialysis device (9), and an oxygenator (8) and/or a gassing device for supplying oxygen to the newborn or premature infant, wherein means are provided in order to maintain an intraamnial pressure of >0 mBar in the chamber (1) of the artificial womb, said pressure acting on the newborn, in addition to the atmospheric pressure.

An organ perfusion system (100) for extracorporeal perfusion of a heart (1) includes an organ chamber (15) having an aortic connector (17), and a first fluid flow path (19) comprising a pump interface (23) and an oxygenator (25), the aortic connector being fluidly connected to the first fluid flow path. The system is adapted for use in a method, wherein oxygenated perfusate is flowed into the heart via the aorta and desoxygenated perfusate is allowed to exit the heart via the inferior vena cava and/or the superior vena cava to thereby perfuse the heart in a substantially unloaded state. Such method may allow for improved recovery of the heart tissue during perfusion. The organ perfusion system may further comprise a perfusate reservoir (27) and/or a chassis, wherein the organ chamber is pivotable with respect to the chassis for holding the heart in a tilted position or to allow rotation of the organ chamber in a horizontal plane.

In a method of ventilating excised lungs, a ventilation gas is supplied to an airway of a lung and a vacuum is formed around the lung. A quality of the vacuum is varied between a lower level and a higher level to cause the lung to breathe, while the pressure of the ventilation gas supplied to the airway is regulated to maintain a positive airway pressure in the airway of the lung. The vacuum may be cyclically varied between the two vacuum levels. The levels may be maintained substantially constant over a period of time, or one or both of the lower and higher levels may be adjusted during ventilation. The lung may be placed in a sealed chamber, and a vacuum is formed in the chamber around the lung.

A portable housing for holding an organ or tissue for at least one of perfusion, storage, diagnosis, and transport of the organ or tissue includes a main chamber within which the organ or tissue and a liquid perfusate for the organ or tissue may be located, and it also includes a secondary chamber that is within the main chamber and that is for holding the liquid perfusate. A volume of the secondary chamber is less than a volume of the main chamber, and a top of the secondary chamber is below a top of the main chamber.

A lung perfusion solution comprises a base solution comprising a physiological mixture of electrolytes and buffers, 3.5-5.5% (w/v) a first macromolecule having a molecular weight of 40-100 KDa, and an amount of a second, high molecular weight, macromolecule sufficient to adjust the relative viscosity of the solution to 2.0-3.0.

Microfluidic platforms for forming and culturing perfusable hydrogel vascularized tissues typically include one or more culture chambers. Each culture chamber includes at least two openings overlaid over a gel channel. The gel channel typically includes at least two tissue zones and a trapping or insertion portion positioned between the tissue zones. The trapping or insertion portion permits vascular networks to develop between the two tissue zones containing vascularized tissues and/or vascularized tissue masses. The vascularized tissue masses in the tissue zones of the gel channel are connected indirectly, via the vascular network of the trapping portion. Also described are methods of forming and culturing perfusable vascularized tissue masses directly or indirectly interconnected via vascularized networks.

The present disclosure describes systems, devices, compositions, and methods for live tissue preservation.