Isolated perfusion has represented for decades the best model for studying the physiology and pathophysiology of many organs.


Technologies developed in these field have subsequently allowed the development of heart-lung machine , and chemo-hyperthermic treatments through isolated perfusion of the limbs and the peritoneal cavity.


More recently, isolated organ perfusion is gaining a fundamental role in  organ  preservation and recondition  for transplantation.


The renewed clinical interest on isolated organ perfusion accounts for the exponential development of basic and translational research lines aimed at studying the complex relationships between organ functionality, hemodynamics, type of perfusion and use drugs during  ex-vivo preservation.


However, the perfusion systems on the market require huge funds and have an intrinsic limit of versatility, limiting the opportunities for researchers with scarce financial resources to undertake new studies and test new hypotheses.


To overcome these limitations, I designed and built an open-source, scalable and low-cost organ perfusion system for research purposes, based on Arduino boards.


The system is currently being used in the context of a multidisciplinary basic research project and it is continuously being implemented.

Charles Lindbergh and Alexis Carrel . with their  perfusion apparatus 1938

A modern ex vivo liver perfusion system

Personal annotation

Many scientists have realized the potential of the free open-source and open-hardware movements in developing a variety of laboratory devices using Arduino boards. Intrigued by these experiences, I joined this project despite having only prior knowledge of programming in BASIC and electrical circuits from school. It was a long yet valuable learning experience, made possible by the availability of dedicated books, online tutorials, reference websites, and the existence of a large community of makers sharing their experiences [1, 2, 3].