It’s a breakthrough which could potentially save lives of patients with severe liver diseases or cancer. According to a research published in Nature Biotechnology, researchers have developed a machine that repairs injured human livers and keeps them alive outside the body for as long as one week.

The success of this unique perfusion system was developed over a period of four years by a group of surgeons, biologists, and engineers. It paves way for many new applications in transplantation and cancer medicine helping patients with no liver grafts available.

Until now livers could be safely stored outside of human body for only a few hours. With this technology livers, and even injured livers, can be kept alive outside of the body for an entire week. The basis of this technology is a complex perfusion system, mimicking most core body functions close to physiology.