BACKGROUND
Among the myriad of conditions needing to be assessed for a donor liver quality, fibrosis of Ishak stage 2 or higher will automatically reject the liver. Currently, the only method for assessing fibrosis (when available) is to employ pathohistological analysis of a liver biopsy, a necessarily destructive approach that can be affected by freezing artifacts, rendering incorrect results. Paraffin imbedded histology works better, but takes too long for results to be measured for the organ to remain viable. Between the time constraints of donor identification, rising need for organ donation, and inconsistent presence of pathohistological capability, there is a critical need for non-invasive methodologies to accurately evaluate organ quality.
SUMMARY OF TECHNOLOGY
Researchers at OSU have developed a novel system of biomarker detection in solid organs. This prototype uses diffuse optical spectroscopy (DOS) and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) to perform evaluations on livers for potential as a transplantable organ. By using DOS and DRS, the surface of the liver can be indexed for fibrosis. This can be paired with pathohistological analysis, or as a standalone, given the success of the methods in test data. The scanning data are analyzed in real-time, allowing for a far faster diagnostic than with histology. Given the common temporal constraints on transplants, increasing the success rate of liver donor indexing, and thus saving lives and making this complex process safer.
POTENTIAL AREAS OF APPLICATION
MAIN ADVANTAGES
STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT