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Hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) is an emerging method of donor organ preservation. Its application for heart transplantation is currently being studied in a clinical trial. Due to the limited ability to assess graft quality during HMP, a reliable prognostic biomarker is needed for quality assessment and prediction of heart function after implantation. This study was designed to identify prognostic biomarkers during HMP of porcine hearts using a multitargeted approach.

A total of 7 slaughterhouse porcine hearts were subjected to 4 hours HMP, followed by 4 hours of normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) for functional assessment. Perfusate samples were collected at baseline and after 4 hours of HMP, for analysis of damage markers and cell-free DNA. Additionally, an Olink Organ Damage T96 panel was performed, after which proteins of interest were identified based on a significant change in …