A team of scientists in China has developed a way to freeze and revive organs for transplant, extending their viability from as little as six hours to several days, according to a peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Medical Devices.While the technology is still at the experimental stage and has not yet progressed to human trials, it could one day transform the entire field of organ transplantation, especially for hearts, the researchers say.

“If just half of the currently discarded transplant hearts in the US could be preserved and used, we could clear the entire US waiting list for organ transplants within two to three years,” the paper noted, citing data from the main donor registry in the United States.

“Extending the low-temperature preservation time of the heart to 24 hours would provide patients with a larger time window, which may save more lives.”

Hearts have the shortest preservation time – at just six hours after leaving the donor – and consequently the highest discard rate. Lungs can remain viable for nine hours, while liver transplants have a 12-hour window and kidneys can be preserved for 24 hours.

This limits how far and for how long organs can be transported. Helicopters are used in the US to expand the organ transport radius, while high-speed trains are employed in China.