The VITAL Core program at UCSF connects donated organs and tissues not used for transplant to researchers to advance the field of medical research
SAN FRANCISCO, May 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Donor Network West and UCSF announced the result of a five-year collaboration developing a scalable model that secures access to viable, donated organs and tissues not used for transplant for research, helping address a long-standing challenge in the study of human biology. As the federally-designated organ procurement organization serving Northern California and northern Nevada, Donor Network West connects nontransplantable and consented organs and tissues to researchers across the country, including UCSF, in support of scientific and medical discovery.
Established in the UCSF Department of Surgery by Dr. James Gardner, the Viable Tissue Acquisition Laboratory program–VITAL Core–enables the rapid recovery and delivery of organs and tissue samples to researchers through a close working relationship with Donor Network West. Each year, thousands of organs and tissues recovered for donation are not suitable for transplant but can still play a critical role in advancing science. The program also honors the wishes of donor families who choose to contribute to research, helping turn their gifts into meaningful scientific progress.
The Donor Network West–UCSF partnership has helped close the gap on the shortage of human tissue samples available to researchers. Unlike traditional biobanks, the VITAL Core applies the same rigorous clinical standards used for transplant-approved organs and tissues to samples delivered for scientific research—a quality distinction that matters—ensuring the highest-quality and most timely tissue samples. The program is also designed to be replicated, offering a model that other institutions and organ procurement organizations can adopt nationwide.
"The renewed emphasis by the National Institutes of Health on the use of human tissue samples in biological studies presents an opportunity for organ procurement organizations to play a critical role in supplying high-quality specimens for advancing medical research," said Ahmad Salehi MD, Ph.D, senior director of research at Donor Network West.
A peer-reviewed article published in the journal Transplantation, co-authored by Dr. Salehi and UCSF's Dr. Gardner, documents the academic and economic impact of VITAL Core and establishes a "road map" for other institutions interested in building similar collaborative programs. The paper details how the program addresses long-standing barriers in human biology research through a real-time, coordinated approach to tissue recovery and delivery. It also charts the program's remarkable growth between 2021 and 2024: participating laboratories grew from eight to 42, tissue types expanded from 15 to 43, and annual sample volume increased sevenfold. Discoveries made possible by these samples have resulted in at least 14 peer-reviewed publications from UCSF researchers, including the high-impact journals Cell and Science. On the economic side, researchers who received samples secured more than $28.6 million in funding during the study period, generating an estimated $70 million in total economic activity.
"Our recent peer-reviewed joint publication in the journal Transplantation outlines the development of the VITAL Core and its underlying principles as a paradigm for other academic medical centers and organ procurement organizations," said Dr. Gardner. "None of this would be possible without the leadership and research staff at Donor Network West, and their commitment to ethical stewardship."
The VITAL Core is just one part of Donor Network West's broader research mission. The program represents less than 10% of what the organization shares with researchers across the country each year.
"Donor Network West's collaboration with UCSF is a perfect example of how organ procurement organizations can rethink the role of organ, eye, and tissue donation to advance science and ultimately benefit patients," said Janice Whaley, Ph.D., president and CEO of Donor Network West. "We are proud to connect organs and tissue to the scientific research community, advancing research and its impact while also honoring the generosity of donors and their families."
When Donor Network West shares donated research organ and tissue samples with other institutions, it opens doors for work that might not otherwise be possible. Dana Farber Cancer Institute, the Broad Institute of MIT, and Stanford University are among those that have benefited from access to these samples.
"The availability of spleens and other tissues from Donor Network West has been transformative for our research at Stanford, and it has already begun to revolutionize our ability to understand human immunology," said Professor Mark Davis, director of Stanford Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection at Stanford University School of Medicine and the Burt and Marion Avery Family Professor of Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, whose program benefitted from access to Donor Network West organ and tissue samples. "For too long, we have been dependent on animal models, which are only occasionally predictive of human immune responses. Now we can go into great depth to understand these complex interactions in an entirely human system."
Researchers interested in learning more about the VITAL Core or requesting inclusion as an investigator or collaborator can visit the VITAL Core webpage to learn more and complete the online form.
About Donor Network West
Donor Network West saves and heals lives by facilitating organ and tissue recovery for transplantation and research. Established in 1987, Donor Network West is designated and certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, accredited by the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB), is a member of the Organ Donation Alliance and is an official Donate Life organization. Donor Network West is federally designated to serve 45 counties in northern California and northern Nevada, Donor Network West partners with the Department of Motor Vehicles and the state-authorized donor registries to help increase donor registration. For information, visit www.DonorNetworkWest.org and follow us on social media: @mydnwest.
About UCSF
The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is exclusively focused on the health sciences and is dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. UCSF Health, which serves as UCSF's primary academic medical center, includes top-ranked specialty hospitals and other clinical programs, and has affiliations throughout the Bay Area. UCSF School of Medicine also has a regional campus in Fresno. Learn more at ucsf.eduucsf.edu or see our Fact Sheet.
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SOURCE Donor Network West
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