Texas A&M Team Cuts Cracking in Frozen Organs
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- Texas A&M University researchers led by Dr. Matthew Powell-Palm found that higher glass transition temperatures in vitrification solutions reduce the likelihood of cracking during cryopreservation.
- Powell-Palm and co-authors published the study in Scientific Reports (2025), outlining a method that could protect organs from structural damage during ultra-cold preservation.
- The team specifically targeted cracking that occurs when tissues are cooled too quickly, a problem the source notes can render frozen organs unusable for transplant.
- Powell-Palm cautioned that cracking "is only one part of the problem," noting that vitrification solutions must also remain biocompatible with the tissue.
- The research builds on a 2023 University of Minnesota milestone in which researchers successfully transplanted a cryopreserved kidney into a rat.
- The National Science Foundation's Engineering Research Center for Advanced Technologies for the Preservation of Biological Systems funded the work.
- Co-author Dr. Guillermo Aguilar called the study a "seminal contribution" to understanding aqueous solution thermodynamics, with potential applications in wildlife conservation, vaccine storage, and reducing food waste.
Why it matters: Solving the cracking problem removes a core obstacle to long-term organ banking, a goal scientists have pursued for nearly a century. The method also extends to vaccine storage, wildlife conservation, and food waste reduction—benefits the co-authors explicitly highlighted as applications beyond transplant medicine.
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