--- title: Pig kidneys that were “frozen” for a year have been... description: Researchers at the University of Minnesota vitrified pig kidneys at -150°C, stored one for over a year, then rewarmed it using iron oxide nanoparticles... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/pig-kidneys-that-were-frozen-for-a-year-have-been-brought-back-to-life-nr5gndldr twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Pig kidneys that were “frozen” for a year have been brought back to life | daily.dev og:description: Researchers at the University of Minnesota vitrified pig kidneys at -150°C, stored one for over a year, then rewarmed it using iron oxide nanoparticles... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/pig-kidneys-that-were-frozen-for-a-year-have-been-brought-back-to-life-nr5gndldr og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/NR5gNdlDR.png og:image:alt: Pig kidneys that were “frozen” for a year have been brought back to life og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Pig kidneys that were “frozen” for a year have been brought back to life **[MIT Technology Review](https://daily.dev/sources/technologyreview)** · 10 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Researchers at the University of Minnesota vitrified pig kidneys at -150°C, stored one for over a year, then rewarmed it using iron oxide nanoparticles activated by an electromagnetic field, with the organ producing urine immediately after transplantation into a pig. The work, shared on bioRxiv and not yet peer-reviewed, builds on a 2023 rat kidney study and suggests organ banking could eventually let doctors store human organs indefinitely, improving transplant matching and reducing rejection risk. The kidneys still showed injury from cryoprotectant toxicity, and researchers have not yet proven long-term survival. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How long were pig kidneys stored in a vitrified state before being successfully rewarmed and transplanted? A pig kidney was stored vitrified at -150°C for just over a year and, after rewarming and connection to a perfusion machine, produced urine immediately and performed better than some kidneys stored for only days or weeks. Researchers used iron oxide nanoparticles activated by an electromagnetic field to rewarm the organ evenly, following cryoprotectant loading to prevent ice crystal formation. _Follow daily.dev for breakthroughs in biotech research shaping future medical technology._ ### What method do researchers use to evenly rewarm vitrified organs without damaging them? Iron oxide nanoparticles are infused into the organ before freezing, then activated by an electromagnetic field during rewarming; as the field's radiofrequency switches states, the particles flip and release heat throughout the tissue, allowing controlled, uniform warming. This approach was first demonstrated in rat kidneys in 2023 and later adapted for larger pig kidneys. _Researchers tracking novel biomedical engineering techniques can follow developments like this on daily.dev._ ### What problems remain before vitrified organ banking can be used for human transplants? Rewarmed pig kidneys produced only about two-thirds of expected urine output and showed injury believed to be caused by the toxic cryoprotectant chemicals used during vitrification. Researchers have not yet shown the organs can sustain life long-term in a living animal, and human trials have not begun, though less toxic cryoprotectants are being sought. _Anyone weighing the promise against the limits of emerging medical tech can track updates on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Supercooled kidneys have been transplanted into pigs in a “landmark achievement”](https://daily.dev/posts/supercooled-kidneys-have-been-transplanted-into-pigs-in-a-landmark-achievement--qsl5eqsbu) · MIT Technology Review · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [The quest to keep organs alive outside the body](https://daily.dev/posts/the-quest-to-keep-organs-alive-outside-the-body-jukuydz57) · MIT Technology Review · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [The Download: an organ transplant breakthrough, and homegrown Chinese chips](https://daily.dev/posts/the-download-an-organ-transplant-breakthrough-and-homegrown-chinese-chips-6go6nzixb) · MIT Technology Review · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Injectable “satellite livers” could offer an alternative to liver transplantation](https://daily.dev/posts/injectable-satellite-livers-could-offer-an-alternative-to-liver-transplantation-6pxnnqf8c) · MIT News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [A startup 3D-printed kidney and liver tissue in space](https://daily.dev/posts/a-startup-3d-printed-kidney-and-liver-tissue-in-space-bxoev073t) · The Next Web · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#healthcare](https://daily.dev/tags/healthcare), [#biotech](https://daily.dev/tags/biotech) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/pig-kidneys-that-were-frozen-for-a-year-have-been-brought-back-to-life-nr5gndldr) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Pig kidneys that were “frozen” for a year have been brought back to life","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/pig-kidneys-that-were-frozen-for-a-year-have-been-brought-back-to-life-nr5gndldr","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/pig-kidneys-that-were-frozen-for-a-year-have-been-brought-back-to-life-nr5gndldr"},"datePublished":"2026-10-15T09:11:04.859Z","dateModified":"2026-10-15T09:11:35.961Z","description":"Researchers at the University of Minnesota vitrified pig kidneys at -150°C, stored one for over a year, then rewarmed it using iron oxide nanoparticles...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/a73ff146eefda42ccb3469af122b64f5?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/a73ff146eefda42ccb3469af122b64f5?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"MIT Technology Review","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"MIT Technology Review","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/t_logo,f_auto/v1/logos/a8d03889722f4f22b3986e0b395ff076","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/technologyreview"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/pig-kidneys-that-were-frozen-for-a-year-have-been-brought-back-to-life-nr5gndldr","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"healthcare,biotech","timeRequired":"PT10M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"MIT Technology Review","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/technologyreview"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Pig kidneys that were “frozen” for a year have been brought back to life"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/pig-kidneys-that-were-frozen-for-a-year-have-been-brought-back-to-life-nr5gndldr#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How long were pig kidneys stored in a vitrified state before being successfully rewarmed and transplanted?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"A pig kidney was stored vitrified at -150°C for just over a year and, after rewarming and connection to a perfusion machine, produced urine immediately and performed better than some kidneys stored for only days or weeks. Researchers used iron oxide nanoparticles activated by an electromagnetic field to rewarm the organ evenly, following cryoprotectant loading to prevent ice crystal formation. Follow daily.dev for breakthroughs in biotech research shaping future medical technology."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What method do researchers use to evenly rewarm vitrified organs without damaging them?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Iron oxide nanoparticles are infused into the organ before freezing, then activated by an electromagnetic field during rewarming; as the field's radiofrequency switches states, the particles flip and release heat throughout the tissue, allowing controlled, uniform warming. This approach was first demonstrated in rat kidneys in 2023 and later adapted for larger pig kidneys. 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