Antifreeze Proteins Boost Donor Organ Storage Time

Pioneering research at Eindhoven University of Technology leads to breakthrough in preserving biological materials using artificial antifreeze proteins.

Published on Feb. 9, 2026

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Ilja Voets, a professor at Eindhoven University of Technology, has made a breakthrough in her research on using antifreeze proteins to prevent freezing damage to biological systems. Backed by prestigious grants, Voets and her team have designed a new family of artificial antifreeze proteins that are more stable and versatile than naturally occurring ones. These proteins can be used to preserve donor organs for longer periods, potentially saving more lives.

Why it matters

Preserving donor organs for transplantation is a critical challenge, as the limited storage time often leads to organ loss and wasted opportunities to save lives. Voets' research on antifreeze proteins offers a promising solution to this problem, with the potential to significantly improve organ transplantation outcomes.

The details

Voets and her team used bacteria to produce ice-binding proteins, which they then studied to understand how they interact with ice crystals. They used computational methods to design a new family of artificial antifreeze proteins that are more stable and active than natural ones, allowing them to remain functional at a wider range of temperatures. This makes the handling and application of these proteins much easier, as specialized cooling equipment is not required.

  • Voets received a prestigious NWO Vici grant in 2024 to support her research.
  • Voets recently received a €150,000 Proof of Concept grant from the European Research Council to help transform her discovery into a practical, real-world product.

The players

Ilja Voets

A full professor at Eindhoven University of Technology who is leading the research on using antifreeze proteins to preserve biological materials.

Tim Hogervorst

A postdoc researcher from the Self-Organizing Soft Matter group at Eindhoven University of Technology, who discovered that the essential properties of the antifreeze proteins can be transferred to polymer-based materials.

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What they’re saying

“In the chemical biology laboratory at TU/e, we use bacteria to produce ice-binding proteins for us. This way, we don't have to isolate them from ice fish for our research. That's not only better for the ice fish, but also useful for us, because it allows us to tinker with the protein structure very precisely in order to find out which parts are essential for the function of the proteins.”

— Ilja Voets, Full Professor (Mirage News)

“Naturally occurring ice-binding proteins are generally only found in cold environments. Some of these proteins already lose their characteristic folding and thus their ability to bind ice at room temperature. The new class of proteins we developed remains stable in a much wider temperature range.”

— Ilja Voets, Full Professor (Mirage News)

What’s next

Voets and Hogervorst are now investigating how their discovery can be transformed into a practical, real-world product, available for others to use, with the help of a €150,000 Proof of Concept grant from the European Research Council.

The takeaway

Voets' breakthrough in designing artificial antifreeze proteins that can preserve biological materials, including donor organs, at a wider range of temperatures represents a significant advancement in the field of organ transplantation. This research has the potential to save more lives by increasing the storage time and availability of donor organs.