Dr. Aaron Williams, an Assistant Professor of Cardiac Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), has been named to the prestigious 2026 TIME100 Health list for his groundbreaking work in heart preservation. His innovative technique significantly extends the viability of donor hearts, offering new hope to thousands awaiting transplants, as reported by news.vumc.org.
The novel method, known as REUP (rapid recovery with extended ultraoxygenated preservation), allows donor hearts to remain viable for up to twelve hours, a substantial increase from the traditional four-hour window. This breakthrough addresses a critical limitation in organ transplantation, according to a recent report by TIME Magazine.
Developed by Williams and his team at the Vanderbilt Transplant Center, REUP utilizes a specialized cold preservation solution enriched with oxygen-rich red blood cells and a muscle relaxant. This approach bypasses the ethical and logistical challenges associated with other methods that reanimate hearts, as detailed by EurekAlert!.
The extended preservation time dramatically expands the pool of usable donor hearts, particularly those from Donation After Circulatory Death (DCD) donors. This could lead to a significant increase in life-saving transplants globally, a point emphasized by Sustainability Times.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center has long been at the forefront of transplant innovation, setting world records for heart transplants in recent years. For instance, VUMC performed 210 adult and pediatric heart transplants in 2025, demonstrating its leadership in the field, according to Vanderbilt Health.
The recognition on the TIME100 Health list underscores the profound impact of Williams's work on global health. His pioneering efforts are poised to transform heart transplantation by making more organs accessible to patients in need, news.vumc.org announced.
- The REUP technique represents a significant advancement over conventional heart preservation methods, which typically rely on cold static storage, limiting transport time to around four hours. This new approach avoids reanimating the heart, a process that can be ethically complex or costly with other technologies, as highlighted by EurekAlert!.
- Globally, approximately 50,000 individuals are on heart transplant waitlists, but only about 5,000 receive a transplant each year, according to time Magazine. Dr. Williams's innovation directly addresses this disparity by increasing the availability of donor hearts, particularly from DCD donors, who were previously underutilized.
- The Vanderbilt Transplant Center has consistently demonstrated its leadership in cardiac transplantation, performing a record 174 heart transplants in 2024 and 210 in 2025, as reported by vumc News. This sustained success is attributed to a combination of multidisciplinary teamwork and pioneering preservation techniques, including REUP.
- REUP's simplicity and cost-effectiveness are key advantages, making it potentially applicable worldwide, even in regions with limited resources, as noted by Sustainability Times. This broad applicability could democratize access to heart transplantation, extending its reach beyond highly specialized centers.
- The technique involves flushing the donor heart with a cold, oxygenated preservation solution containing packed red blood cells and del Nido cardioplegia, as detailed in a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. This unique composition helps halt cellular decay and reduce inflammation, maintaining organ viability for extended periods.
- Beyond heart transplantation, researchers believe the REUP preservation technique could have broader applications for other organs, including livers, kidneys, and lungs, and even for pediatric transplants, according to Sustainability Times. Further studies are underway to explore these potential expansions and their impact on the wider field of organ donation.
