Kidney matching software

Computer scientists at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a new computer algorithm for matching living kidney donors with kidney disease patients.

This algorithm could significantly boost the efficiency of kidney exchanges, a mechanism for matching live donors with unrelated recipients. Kidney exchanges are now considered the best chance for boosting the number of kidney transplants in the US. More than 70,000 Americans are on the waiting list for kidney transplants and about 4,000 die waiting each year.

The matching algorithm makes it possible to create matches for three- and four-way exchanges - that is, three or four donors matched to three or four recipients - as well as two-way exchanges. It is the first that is scalable so it can be used for a national pool of donors and recipients, said Tuomas Sandholm, professor of computer science.

The Alliance for Paired Donation, a kidney exchange program for 50 transplant centres in 15 states, began using the matching algorithm in December.