Our researchers use a variety of scientific, medical and technical terms and acronyms when explaining or presenting their research. Here are plain English definitions for some of the most commonly used terms.
| Term | Acronym | Definition |
| antibody | A protein made by the white blood cells of the immune system in response to an antigen (see below), which binds to and helps to destroy the antigen. Each type of antibody can bind to only one specific type of antigen. | |
| antigen | Any substance that causes the body to make an immune response against it. Antigens include toxins, chemicals, bacteria, viruses or other substances that come from outside the body. The immune system makes antibodies to help destroy the antigen. | |
| bioinformatics | The science of using computers, databases and mathematics to organize and analyse large amounts of biological, medical, and health information. Information may come from many sources, including patient statistics, tissue specimens, genetics research and clinical trials. | |
| biomarker | An abbreviation of the term ‘biological marker’, these are biological molecules found in blood, body fluids or tissues that are measurable indicators of a normal or abnormal process or of a condition or disease. Our work on biomarkers may help us to better assess organ quality before transplantation and to predict organ function after transplantation. | |
| biostatistics | The science of collecting and analysing biological or health data using statistical methods. | |
| cold ischaemia | The cooling of an organ after the blood supply has been reduced or cut off. This can occur while the organ is still in the body or after it has been removed from the body. | |
| cold ischaemic time | CIT | The time between the chilling of an organ after its blood supply has been reduced or cut off and when it is warmed by having its blood supply restored. |
| cold storage / static cold storage | CS / SCS | The refrigeration of donor organs before they are transplanted into recipients. Placing organs on ice is the traditional storage method used in organ transplantation. |
| donation after brain death | DBD | Donation of organs by an individual who has suffered the total and irreversible loss of all brain function (brain death). This is the circumstance under which the donation of organs most commonly takes place. |
| donation after circulatory death | DCD | Previously known as non-heart-beating donation, this is the donation of organs by an individual who has suffered irreversible loss of function of the heart. Death may result from a cardiac arrest that is unexpected and from which the patient cannot be resuscitated, or may occur following the planned withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments that are no longer beneficial to a critically ill patient. |
| delayed graft function | DGF | Failure of a transplanted kidney to function optimally immediately after transplantation. DGF is generally defined as the need for dialysis within 7 days of transplantation. |
| extended criteria donor | ECD | This term is usually associated with deceased or living kidney donors. ECD donors are aged over 60 years, or aged over 50 years with two of the three following conditions: a history of hypertension, reduced kidney function or death from a stroke. |
| ex vivo | In scientific research, this term refers to experimentation carried out within or on a tissue or organ outside the body in an artificial environment but with the minimum alteration of natural conditions. | |
| ex vivo lung perfusion | EVLP | Technique that involves connecting donor lungs to a machine to keep them ‘breathing’ outside the body and providing them with nutrients and blood substitutes before transplantation. This revives the lungs and repairs some of the damage caused by cold storage, allows surgeons to check their viability and also allows drugs or treatments to be added, priming the lungs for the best chance of success once transplanted. By allowing surgeons to test lung function, EVLP has the potential to make more lungs available for transplantation. |
| ex vivo normothermic perfusion | EVNP | Technique that involves connecting a donor organ to a machine before transplantation and flushing it with oxygenated blood and nutrients at normal body temperature. This revives the organ and repairs some of the damage caused by cold storage, allows surgeons to check the viability of the organ and also allows drugs or treatments to be added to the organ, priming it for the best chance of success once transplanted. By allowing surgeons to test organ function, EVNP has the potential to make more organs available for transplantation. |
| genomics | The study of the complete set of DNA (the genome) of an organism. Almost every cell in a person’s body contains a complete copy of the genome. By measuring the differences in the genetic code in the cells of donor organs we hope to develop tests that will predict how well an organ will work after transplantation. | |
| graft | Another term for a transplanted organ. | |
| human leucocyte antigen | HLA | A type of molecule found on the surface of most cells in the body which plays an important part in the body’s immune response to foreign substances. HLAs make up a person’s tissue type, which varies from person to person. HLA tests are carried out before an organ transplant to find out if the tissues of the donor and recipient match. |
| hypothermic machine perfusion | HMP | Technique that involves connecting a donor organ to a machine before transplantation and flushing it with a preservation solution at low temperature, which can improve organ preservation and allow storage times to be extended. |
| ischaemia | Lack of blood supply to a part of the body (e.g. an organ), which may cause tissue damage due to a lack of oxygen and nutrients. | |
| ischaemia reperfusion injury | IRI | Damage caused to an organ when the blood supply is returned to it after a period without a blood supply (ischaemia), for example when a donor organ is transplanted into a recipient. |
| leucocyte/leukocyte | Scientific name for the white blood cells that form part of the body’s immune system. They help the body fight infection and disease. There are many types of leucocyte with different names, including neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, monocyctes, T cells and B cells. | |
| mitochondria | Small structures found in the fluid (cytoplasm) of cells that generate energy for the cell. They are often thought of as the cell’s ‘powerhouses’. During storage of donor organs mitochondria work differently from normal and this can affect how well the transplanted organ works. | |
| normothermic machine perfusion | NMP | Also known as ex vivo normothermic perfusion (EVNP) – see definition above. |
| normothermic regional perfusion | NRP | Technique that involves perfusing donor organs with blood by machine before they are removed from the donor. A circuit is established and oxygenated donor blood is circulated through the organs. This can increase organ tolerance to subsequent cold storage and allows a period of organ assessment before retrieval from the donor. |
| primary non-function | PNF | The permanent lack of function of an organ starting immediately after transplant. |
| Quality in Organ Donation | QUOD | The QUOD initiative aims to improve organ transplantation by collecting and storing blood, urine and tissue samples from consenting organ donors and making them available for research. QUOD samples are available to researchers nationwide and it is hoped that through the research carried out on them it will be possible to determine pathways of injury and repair in organs and identify biomarkers which can be used to better predict the outcomes of transplantation. |
| warm ischaemia | Keeping an organ at body temperature after its blood supply has been reduced or cut off. | |
| warm ischaemic time | WIT | The time an organ remains at body temperature after its blood supply has been reduced or cut off but before it is cooled or reconnected to a blood supply. |
