Challenges to research and innovation to optimize deceased donor organ quality and quantity

Solid organ transplantation is encumbered by an increasing number of waitlisted patients unrequited by the current organ supply. Preclinical models suggest that advances in deceased donor management and treatment can increase the quantity and quality of organs available for transplantation. However, the science of donor intervention and the execution of high quality, prospective, multi-center, randomized-controlled trials are restricted by a myriad of logistical challenges mired in regulatory and ethical ambiguity. By highlighting the obstacles to conducting research in deceased donors, this report endeavors to stimulate the creation of a multi-disciplinary framework to facilitate the design, implementation and supervision of innovative trials that increase the quantity and/or quality of deceased donor organs. This report is a collaborative effort to identify and highlight some of the ethical, logistical, and regulatory ambiguities that impede the development, design, and implementation of innovative trials relevant to deceased donor organ donation.