Hello everyone! Welcome back to my blog! I've been back at MSU for the past 3 weeks, and have been enjoying being back on campus. We were online for the first few weeks of the semester because of the omicron variant, but I am grateful that we were able to return safely to campus.

There have been a record number of organ donors signing up on the organ donor registry. According to Gift of Life Michigan, "1,089 organs were transplanted from 429 donors, which represents about a 14% increase in donors over 2020. Also, 1,464 people donated tissue and more than 290,000 names were added to the Michigan Organ Donor Registry." This is great news, especially given this was during the pandemic.

Previously, ex-vivo machines have been used to ventilate and infuse the lungs with a solution for several hours to improve bronchial function before a lung transplant. Currently, there is a more recent version of the machine that can help patients who get lung transplants. The TransMedics Organ Care System is being used by Gift of Life Michigan to extend the life of donor lungs, enabling for a successful transplant and improved long-term health for recipients. Clinical studies for a comparable device that would be utilized for donated livers, hearts, and kidneys are also underway.