I am a researcher in dr. Pischkes group and a transplant surgeon at Rikshospitalet.

My overall research aim is to increase the availability of donor livers for organ transplantation through (i) identifying functional organs that are discarded in current clinical practice, and (ii) identifying novel treatment options for rescuing marginal liver grafts.

For end-stage liver failure, transplantation is the only current treatment option. There is a shortage of donor livers and because patients die while waiting for organs, the use of marginal livers that would otherwise be discarded, is currently under investigation. Marginal donor organs carry an increased risk of inferior function, and ischemia-reperfusion injury is a key challenge in liver transplantation, especially in marginal liver grafts.

Ex vivo liver machine perfusion is considered an important advance in organ preservation and evaluation prior to transplantation. Machine perfusion has proven to limit the metabolic consequences of ischemia-reperfusion injury and has the potential to rescue otherwise discarded livers. Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell, but also a key player in cell death signaling.

My research focus is the effect of liver machine perfusion on mitochondrial function and the dynamic between mitochondrial function, cell death and innate immune system activation in marginal liver grafts.