Machine breathes new life into fatty livers for transplant
NCT ID NCT06088758
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This trial tests whether a machine called Normothermic Machine Perfusion (NMP) can revive moderately fatty donor livers so they can be safely transplanted. Researchers will place livers with 30-60% fat on the machine, check their quality, and transplant those that meet safety criteria. The goal is to increase the number of usable donor livers and reduce waitlist deaths.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) device
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could allow more fatty livers to be used for transplant, reducing waitlist deaths and expanding the donor organ pool.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage, single-site trial with only 200 participants. The procedure may not work for all fatty livers, and there are risks of poor graft function or need for retransplant.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 200 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Feb 2024
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18-80 years * Listed for liver transplantation at MGH * Calculated MELD-Na score \<= 25 * Able to consent Exclusion Criteria: * Status 1a * Cardiac or pulmonary disease * Prior liver transplant * Requiring pressors at the time of liver offer * MELD\<15 and asymptomatic from liver disease
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Massachusetts General Brigham
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States
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