20/03/2026
An exciting pilot scheme has launched that, if successful, could enable up to 345 more kidney transplants every year. Driven by NHS Blood and Transplant, the scheme consists of 15 pilot assessment and recovery centres where selected donated organs will be preserved and assessed, buying more time to determine their suitability for transplant.
Dr David Crosby, chief research officer at Kidney Research UK said: “This news has been hotly anticipated by the charity. Interventions are needed more urgently than ever to enable more life-saving transplants, with over 7,000 people currently on the waiting list for a kidney transplant and the numbers of people entering kidney failure predicted to continue rising.
“Organ perfusion was first pioneered in the kidney by Professor Mike Nicholson in research funded by Kidney Research UK, and is central to this pilot. Perfusion preserves organs outside the body for longer, extending the window in which organs are assessed, meaning fewer are discarded as unsuitable simply because time has run out.
“We look forward to the first kidney transplants taking place as part of this pilot. Seeing research we have funded helping create potentially life-changing outcomes only fuels our commitment and determination to change the future of kidney health.”
Read more about the pilot here: https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/news/nhs-starts-machine-preservation-programme-to-enable-more-transplants/
