EXPERTS from a North-East university are pioneering research that could dramatically improve the number of people saved by donated organs.

A team of scientists from Sunderland University hope they have found a way to expand the donor pool.

The latest research shows that three people die every week in the UK while waiting for an organ. While the number of transplants has remained constant over the past decade, the waiting list has risen.

Sunderland’s experts said a potential source of organs was from donors who have suffered heart attacks.

Previously, the organs were unsuitable for transplants because they are starved of oxygen.

However, research has led to the development of NHS-approved equipment to cool the organs.

The university’s biomedical sciences department has collaborated with Professor David Talbot, a consultant transplant surgeon at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital, and an early pioneer of the research.

Dr Noel Carter said: “The primary aim of our research is to expand the donor pool. If we can achieve this, then the benefits will be incredible.

“One of our PhD students, Alex Navarro, who graduates next week, has based his thesis on the development of new medical devices to allow the rapid cooling of the organs.”

Donors are either living donors such as family members or donors where a patient is declared braindead following an injury.

Dr Carter said: “Our research focuses on minimising the damage to the tissue and on regenerating it before you get the organ working again and transplant it into a recipient.

“One of our strategies has been to cool the organ as quickly as possible, to minimise damage.”

Further research is due to take place at the university and the team is working with a German pharmaceutical company.

The university hopes to expand its research capability with the opening of a £7.5m science complex in December.

The news comes during the middle of National Transplant Week, which runs until Sunday. Visit organdonation.

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