Preservation of organs and tissues

Transplantation

Main article: Transplantation

Chronicle

2024: Global Organ Conservation Market Exceeds $280 Million for the Year

At the end of 2024, spending on the global organ conservation market reached $280.1 million. More than a third of global costs came from the North American region. Such data are provided in the Fortune Business Insights review published on November 19, 2025.

Preservation is a medical procedure that consists in keeping the withdrawn donor organs outside the body physiologically complete and suitable for the purpose of their further transplantation. The process significantly prolongs the time the donor material remains viable. This allows the organ to be delivered from the donor to the recipient, even if they are a long distance apart. There are various methods of saving:

• Hypothermic conservation - cooling the organ to temperatures of about 0-4 degrees Celsius in order to slow down metabolism;
• Static preservation - the cooled organ is placed in a special container with a preserving solution;
• Hypothermic perfusion - the preservative solution is continuously pumped through the organ at a temperature of 1 to 10 degrees Celsius;
• Normothermal perfusion - maintaining metabolic processes in the organ at baseline by constantly delivering oxygen and nutrients at normal temperature;
• Cryopreservation - freezing at low temperatures.

One of the industry's main drivers is increased demand for donor organs amid an ageing population and an increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases such as chronic kidney disease. This leads to an increase in the number of organ transplantation operations around the world, which, in turn, necessitates the preservation of donor materials.

Technological advances have a stimulating effect on the market. We are talking about the development of new preservation solutions to extend the shelf life of organs, the creation of specialized packaging for transportation, etc. In addition, the logistics infrastructure for rapid delivery of organs from donors to recipients is improving.

Restraining factors are the high cost of equipment and significant operating costs. In addition, in some regions there may be a shortage of highly qualified specialists. There is a problem of illegal organ trade. There are also ethical difficulties associated with donor identification and organ distribution.

By type of conserved organ, the market is segmented into kidneys, liver, heart, lungs, pancreas and others. In 2024, the first of the listed areas dominated with a share of 52.2%. This is due to the large number of kidney transplantation operations. It is estimated that 10% of the world's population suffers from chronic kidney disease, and millions of people die from this ailment every year because they do not have access to the necessary treatment. Geographically, North America leads with a share of 36.4%, or $101.9 million. Major industry players on a global scale are:

• TransMedics;
• Xvivo;
• Terumo Corporation;
• Getinge AB;
• Organ Recovery Systems;
• Bridge to Life;
• Vascular Perfusion Solutions;
• Preservation Solutions;
• Waters Medical Systems;
• Lifeline Scientific.

In 2025, the volume of the organ conservation market is predicted to reach $323.8 million. Fortune Business Insights analysts believe that in the future, the CAGR will be 9.8%. Thus, by 2032, costs may increase to about $624.6 million.^[1]

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