BMI OrganBank, a North Carolina medical technology startup developing novel organ preservation and reconditioning technology, has announced promising results in organ preservation using its platform, which could potentially reduce the waitlist for organ transplants.
The company announced on Monday, June 3, that pre-clinical data about their OrganBank Transport device generated and published in Transplantation Direct by the Duke University Ex Vivo Organ Laboratory (DEVOL) highlighted BMI OrganBank technology’s potential to significantly increase the possibilities of preserving and reconditioning organs for an extended time.
With extended preservation and organ reconditioning, BMI OrganBank’s innovative warm perfusion platform can help reduce the number of patients on the waitlist for kidney transplants by improving kidney preservation and acceptance.
Over 90,000 Americans on the Waitlist for Organ Transplants
The imbalance between kidney transplant demand and supply stems from a lack of advanced preservation and reconditioning technology, leading to high rates of graft failure. As a result, many physicians and patients do not prefer using preserved kidneys, putting at least 90,000 Americans on the waitlist for life-saving organ transplants.
While the glaring imbalance can be offset using kidneys from older donors and those recovered after donor circulatory death (DCD), current organ preservation approaches utilizing cold temperatures make the kidneys vulnerable to significant injuries during storage, reducing their viability for a successful transplant.
To overcome these challenges, BMI OrganBank has developed a highly automated warm perfusion platform that doesn’t need blood to preserve and recondition kidneys.
Promising Results
According to Dr. Andrew Barbas, abdominal transplant surgeon and co-director of the DEVOL Lab, the study was the first to comprehensively examine the performance of room temperature perfusion using pig kidneys, which are conventionally considered the gold standard for new kidney transplant technology testing.
During the evaluation, the researchers noted 24-hour preservation times using the new technology, which resulted in improved post-transplant graft function, which was better compared to standard organ preservation. Notably, the BMI OrganBank system also preserved discarded human kidneys in a stable condition for 24 hours.
With the technology still in the pre-clinical stage, BMI OrganBank is seeking to undertake clinical studies to earn the FDA’s approval.