Currently, most organs that are harvested for transplant are transported from the donor to the recipient packed in ice and must be implanted within a matter of hours. How is organ culture an improvement on this transport method? Organs that are packed in ice can be damaged by frostbite during transit. Cultured organs can be kept alive for several weeks before transplant. Extra culture medium is easier and cheaper to transport than extra ice. Organ cultures can be shipped as cargo rather than hand delivered.