Dayton Business Journal...
UD, Wright State study on treefrogs may aid humans
by Laura Englehart
Friday, November 4, 2011 

Some treefrogs can freeze themselves to survive winter months, and researchers at the University of Dayton    and Wright State University    hope to hone in on that ability to use on human organs for transplant. 

The two schools received a joint, three-year $562,000 grant in September from the National Science Foundation    to investigate proteins likely active in the freezing process of gray treefrogs, and researchers have developed a method to isolate one important protein that transfers water and glycerol to cells to keep them free from damage when frozen. 

With this capacity, physicians could preserve human organs longer, said Carissa Krane, a UD biology professor. 

“Right now, we can preserve an organ for transplant for just a few hours, putting doctors and transplant patients on short notice, creating a small window of time for transportation and surgery,” Krane said. “But if we can replicate the process these frogs use, we may be able to viably freeze organs and bank them for extended periods of time until they are needed.” 

Krane and collaborators already have tested the effect of summer-like temperatures and fall-like temperatures on the regulation of the important protein at the cellular level. Their results, published in the August issue of the Journal of Experimental Zoology, showed cells in cold weather had higher expressions of the protein than cells in warm weather. 

Researchers at Wright State, led by biology professor and department chair David Goldstein, are conducting similar tests on the frogs themselves in cold and warm weather and varying periods of light and dark. 

Researchers at both universities are collaborating with the Dayton Regional STEM School to engage high school students in the project. 

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