A roadmap for treating donor organs with CRISPR.

What if a donor organ could be treated before it reaches the person who needs it? This paper explores using CRISPR while an organ is connected to a perfusion machine, which circulates fluid through it outside the body. The idea is to make selected changes to the organ’s biology during this window, with the aim of helping it withstand injury or function better after transplantation. The authors discuss early work in human kidney tissue and the challenges of treating an entire organ. It is a roadmap for research: improvements in whole-organ function and benefits for transplant recipients still need to be demonstrated.

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