Dear Members of the American Society of Transplantation,
I hope this letter finds you well. My name is Maribelle Ganelis, and I am a homeschooler passionate about medicine and biology, specifically the phylum tardigrada (tardigrades). Tardigrades can survive apocalyptic conditions, from extreme temperatures to desiccation. However, what allows them to endure such environments is largely unused in human medicine: the sugar trehalose and specialized protective proteins.
Trehalose has a remarkably beneficial effect on preserving organs during dry states, including the most extreme form of tardigrade desiccation known as anhydrobiosis. During anhydrobiosis, tardigrades release this sugar to coat and protect their inner organs. After much research, I was not surprised to learn about trehalose’s ability to protect human organs as well.
I am writing to suggest research on trehalose for the preservation of human organs, as devastating amounts of donated transplant organs are lost each year. Though research is being done on how to preserve organs better, trehalose could be extremely beneficial in this process. If the American Society of Transplantation were to research its potential, many lives could be saved.
According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, 28,000 donated organs go unused due to errors in the system, leaving thirteen people every day to suffer fatalities after waiting for an organ. Undoubtedly, transplanters are hoping to create a faster and more prioritized process of transporting organs, but this certainly has its limits.
News-Medical reports that simple, relatively cheap methods of static cold fusion and machine perfusion preserve organs at low temperatures. However, this lasts a maximum of 24 hours for kidneys and just six for hearts. Though using machine perfusion and simulating the body for the organ preserves it better, this is far more expensive and can close the opening tissues on livers, making the organ no longer useful.
Cryptopreservation, specifically vitrification, seems to be beneficial in the long term, reducing ice crystals in the organ by removing water and replacing it with a solute. Though this may be helpful, trehalose can do the same and better, as they do in tardigrades.
Trehalose is a disaccharide in tardigrades that protects against dehydration, found in anhydrobiosis. Anhydrobiosis is likewise in rotifers and nematodes as an unchanging state for stress conditions and a severe lack of water. In an experiment done at the Universität of Stuttgart, Germany, tardigrades were tested to see the hydration and uses of trehalose during anhydrobiosis. The results showed that tardigrades use trehalose throughout all stages and all species, and that it is one of the most important factors of their preservation.
In an experiment done by me in a home lab, I had three strawberries absorbed in a solution of either trehalose, glucose, sucrose or plain distilled water as the control. Afterwards, I froze the strawberries for twelve hours and let them thaw for four. The three strawberries absorbed with trehalose were soft, but the skin was protective. This proves its ability to preserve, from strawberries to tardigrades themselves.
Proof of trehalose’s ability to preserve biomaterials can be seen in an experiment done at the University of California, Davis. The water from sucrose, glucose, and trehalose was removed and dried quickly to simulate stress, then rehydrated to measure the membrane and protein stability. The experiment tested the liposome leakage for the membrane strength, the enzyme activity for protein functioning, the Differential Scanning Calorimetry for changes in dead samples and X-ray diffraction for the crystallization.
Trehalose had a strong membrane, high enzyme activity with little structural damage, stable glass, no crystallization and protection around biomolecules. Conclusions stated that trehalose is effective for preserving dry biomaterials, better than sucrose and glucose. Trehalose could be used for food, pharmaceuticals and many dry biomaterials, including organs. Currently, organs are going to waste because they fail to be effectively persevered.
Performed on a rat heart, an experiment done by Jingwen Gao, Yasushige Shingu and Satoru Wakasa showed that cardiomyocytes were effectively preserved by trehalose. H9C2 rat cardiomyocyte cells absorbed trehalose for four hours before a simulation of ischemic stress. Assays, including the MTT assay for mitochondrial structure, the autophagy analysis for the formation of autophagosomes to take in cellular waste and mis-folded proteins by autophagy, stress response and apoptosis and automated cellular death were measured.
Results showed that the cell viability, stress response, autophagy and cellular waste cleaning increased, while apoptosis decreased. It was mentioned that trehalose can also be helpful not only for the preservation of organs, but also for helping cells survive after Donation after Circulatory Death. It was concluded that trehalose is beneficial, and future research can show the long-term effects of trehalose preconditioning and how it helps organ preservation and reperfusion injuries.
Trehalose and its ability to preserve is truly remarkable. It is possible that it would help save many lives, and it is a topic that must be studied. The 13 people left to die every day because they did not receive organs could be solved if we spend our time and money researching how this world-changing sugar can be beneficial to the preservation of donated organs. Studying this would change so many lives for the better. It is a necessity to look at this option and think about it seriously.
I hope you and your team will consider this option for better safety, researching how trehalose can help those thirteen people in fatal need of well-preserved organs.
Sincerely,
Maribelle Ganelis
