In the world of modern research, innovation rarely occurs in isolation. During the Research Days last October, the annual UMC Utrecht Team Science Award was awarded to team Neo-BRAIN. However, Team Science thrives across many other research teams at UMC Utrecht. In this series, we highlight a new research team each month, talking about how team science is at the heart of their work. This month in the spotlight: Team LOTX, which is dedicated to improving lung preservation for transplantation.
“The current standard for donor lung preservation before transplantation is cold storage on ice. However, preclinical studies have shown that lungs stored at 10°C have excellent graft function after transplantation, even better than lungs stored on ice,” explains Jitte Jennekens (PhD candidate, transplant coordinator & organ perfusionist). “Several transplant centers have adopted new methods for lung preservation including the LungGuard, a clinical preservation method developed by Paragonix, which maintains preservation temperatures between 4-8°C. However, this medical device is extremely expensive. We believe that a commercially available electrical cooler is an effective and affordable alternative. Currently, we are testing the Makita cooler for controlled lung preservation at 10°C. The goal is to implement this method clinically at the UMC Utrecht.”
“Organ donation and transplantation is a complex, multidisciplinary process, that requires expertise from various fields. Successfully translating preclinical data into clinical practice to improve transplant outcome depends on the collaboration and input from all the different disciplines involved, such as surgeons, pulmonologists, and anesthesiologists, as well as researchers and industry partners.”
“In organ transplantation, implementing a new strategy only works if everyone involved in the transplantation process has been involved in the development. This makes sure that what has been developed benefits the practice of transplantation,” tells Niels van der Kaaij (Associate professor and cardiothoracic surgeon).
“The company Makita has provided us with an electrical cooler, large enough to fit donor lungs for preservation. To enable real-time temperature monitoring and GPS tracking, we use temperatures sensors and software from GPS buddy. This system allows us to set alarms as a safety measure to keep the temperature in range. GPS tracking allows us to follow the location of the donor lungs and adjust logistics based on this information.”
“Now, we are evaluating whether this cooler can effectively preserve lungs at 10°C and how practical it is to use. Up to now, we have successfully transported eight slaughterhouse pig lungs, comparing traditional ice storage with the Makita cooler. This year, we hope to move forward to clinical implementation at the UMC Utrecht, as well as other Dutch transplant centers.”
“Inspired by lungs! We all share the same enthusiasm for improving lung transplant outcomes. Our work goes beyond research—we are all involved in clinical lung transplantations at the UMC Utrecht. The shared drive and ambition to improve lung transplantation, together with our clinical experience, creates a great research environment. We work together on different projects in the lung transplant (LOTX) research team. ‘The Makita cooler for lung preservation’ is one of these projects. The LOTX research team is part of the Transplant Center UMC Utrecht, where we work together and share experiences in heart, lung, and kidney transplantation.”
Team LOTX is a multidisciplinary team that combines medical expertise, technical innovation, and research skills. The core members of the Makita project include: Linda de Heer (Cardiothoracic surgeon), Elize Berg (Pulmonologist), Bart Luijk (Pulmonologist), Sue Braithwaite (Anesthesiologist), Jitte Jennekens (Researcher, transplant coordinator & organ perfusionist), Maaike Wulfse (medical student), and Niels van der Kaaij (Associate professor at UMC Utrecht and cardiothoracic surgeon at Erasmus MC). In addition, the team collaborates with technical experts from Makita and GPS Buddy to fine-tune the cooler’s adaptations, software, and monitoring capabilities.
