Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Transplantation is limited by how long organs survive outside the body. Current methods slow metabolism or sustain physiological support, but neither eliminates ischemia-reperfusion injury, which shortens storage and drives organ discard. Embryonic diapause and hibernation show that mammalian cells retain a latent capacity for reversible metabolic arrest. Screening the PI3K-mTOR axis, we identified a dual inhibitor that reversibly pauses embryonic stem cells at ambient oxygen and holds mouse embryos in arrest for 8.5 days. Combined with a mitochondria-targeted hydrogen sulfide donor, this yields TorPause, a two-component flush compatible with existing preservation protocols. In a rat liver transplantation model, TorPause reduced structural injury and improved recipient survival after 5 hours of static storage at room temperature, potentially expanding the usable donor pool.
Language: English
Subfield: Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: National Science Foundation, Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, Vetenskapsrådet, National Institutes of Health, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
OpenAlex ID: W7221195090