Ex situ heart perfusion: a novel model for drug validation and translation - Takeaways - 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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  • 1

    Ex situ heart perfusion (ESHP) was developed by Oskar Langendorff and is critical for donation after circulatory determination of death (DCD) programs.

  • 2

    ESHP enables the use of marginal donor hearts, extending preservation times and improving outcomes similar to conventional brain death transplantation.

  • 3

    The model allows for earlier testing of novel therapeutics in human hearts, potentially streamlining drug discovery and reducing failure rates.

  • 4

    Current drug development faces high failure rates, particularly in cardiovascular drugs, highlighting the need for clinically relevant human models.

  • 5

    Despite its potential, ESHP has been underutilized in validating novel therapeutics, with only proof-of-concept studies conducted to date.

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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