Ex situ heart perfusion: a novel model for drug validation and translation - Report - MDSpire

Ex situ heart perfusion: a novel model for drug validation and translation

  • By

  • John Onsy Louca

  • Magnus Althage

  • Nicole Asemota

  • Johannes Bargehr

  • Sai Bhagra

  • Dawn E. Bowles

  • Sarah Hosgood

  • Kiran Khush

  • Simon Messer

  • Marco Öchsner

  • Joao Pedro Nunes

  • Amanda Rodgers

  • Lu Wang

  • Catherine H. Wilson

  • Stephen Large

  • Sanjay Sinha

  • June 18, 2026

  • 0 min

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Clinical Report: Ex Situ Heart Perfusion: An Innovative Approach for Drug Testing

Overview

Ex situ heart perfusion (ESHP) offers a novel model for early drug testing using donor hearts. This approach could facilitate the development of therapeutics for heart failure.

Background

Heart transplantation is limited by the availability of suitable donor organs, with only about 10,000 transplants occurring annually compared to 64 million individuals living with heart failure. ESHP has emerged as a technique in expanding the donor pool and enhancing the viability of marginal donor hearts.

Data Highlights

No numerical data provided in the source material.

Key Findings

  • ESHP was developed in the 19th century and is now used in heart transplantation to extend donor heart preservation times.
  • ESHP enables the use of turned down donor hearts for first-in-human studies.
  • 90% of drugs in clinical trials fail, primarily due to lack of efficacy.
  • Current drug testing predominantly relies on cell lines and animal models.
  • Collaboration among industry, academia, and clinicians is essential for the adoption of ESHP in drug development.

Clinical Implications

The adoption of ESHP could allow earlier testing of therapeutics in human-relevant models.

Conclusion

ESHP presents a potential avenue for enhancing drug testing and development in cardiology.

Related Resources & Content

  1. International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, ISHLT, 2024 -- Updated Guidelines for Cardiac Transplant Candidates
  2. New England Journal of Medicine, 2023 -- Transplantation Outcomes with Donor Hearts after Circulatory Death
  3. A Versatile Research Framework for Ex Vivo Normothermic Machine Perfusion of the Liver
  4. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine — A cost-effective proof-of-concept ex vivo perfusion model for myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury in wistar rats: enhancing accessibility in resource-constrained settings
  5. Basic Research in Cardiology — Impact of Proarrhythmic Medications on Relaxation Duration and Rhythm Patterns in Engineered Rat Cardiac Tissue
  6. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine — Molecular and cellular adaptations to extended hypothermic oxygenated perfusion in donation-after-circulatory-death hearts in a porcine model
  7. A Versatile Research Framework for Ex Vivo Normothermic Machine Perfusion of the Liver
  8. A cost-effective proof-of-concept ex vivo perfusion model for myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury in wistar rats
  9. GUIDELINE
  10. Transplantation Outcomes with Donor Hearts after Circulatory Death | New England Journal of Medicine
  11. Machine perfusion across different donor pathways in heart transplantation: A systematic review and network meta-analysis - PubMed

Original Source(s)

Ex situ heart perfusion: a novel model for drug validation and translation

  • by John Onsy Louca, Magnus Althage, Nicole Asemota, Johannes Bargehr, Sai Bhagra, Dawn E. Bowles, Sarah Hosgood, Kiran Khush, Simon Messer, Marco Öchsner, Joao Pedro Nunes, Amanda Rodgers, Lu Wang, Catherine H. Wilson, Stephen Large, Sanjay Sinha

  • June 18, 2026

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