ARTICLE SUMMARY:
As chronic disease rates climb, so does the need for organ transplants. In parallel with organizational shifts in government-managed organ procurement services, medtech companies are stepping up to address a new pool of donors.
The organ transplant market has recently come into focus with legislation signed by President Biden in September 2023 that allows multiple vendors to collaboratively manage the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) for the first time in the organization’s history. Since 1986, the task had been delegated exclusively to a private nonprofit, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which received criticism from lawmakers and patient advocates for disparities in equitable access to organ procurement services and for delays in organ placement caused by UNOS’ outdated IT system, as reported by Bloomberg Law. According to the article, the OTPN modernization effort will focus on five key areas: technology, data transparency, governance, operations, and quality improvement and innovation.
The executive branch isn’t the only party interested in upgrading the organ transplantation space, with device companies working on new solutions to replace the standard of organ preservation and transportation—static cold storage, otherwise known as a box of ice. One of the more recent companies to enter the market is Paragonix Technologies, founded in 2010 and headquartered in Cambridge, MA. While working in a research lab during her post-doctorate studies, CEO Lisa Anderson was surprised to learn that that despite the widespread integration of smart sensors and data-rich technology in various fields, organ transport remained primitive. She was particularly shocked when a pancreas ordered for research was delivered inside a cooler filled with crushed ice.
