Currently over 6,300 people in the UK are waiting for an organ transplant, and sadly everyday around three people die waiting. In efforts to reduce the reliance on organ donors and improve the outlook for patients, alternative sources of organs are being explored by several research groups.

In a study recently published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, bioengineered livers created by decellularization and recellularization were implanted into pigs, where they were able to sustain continuous perfusion for up to 15 days. We spoke to Miromatrix’s CEO, Dr Jeff Ross, to learn more about the study and how it advances the state of bioengineering organs.

Anna MacDonald (AM): What are some of the main challenges faced when creating bioengineered organs?