Grant: Idea to Innovation

Solid organ transplantation is the preferred and sometimes only life saving option for patients with end stage organ failure. The demand for solid organs for transplant is very high and their suitability is heavily dependent on the proper preservation and secure transportation to the transplant centre. The current standard practice is to preserve an organ in specialized cold buffer solutions and transport in cold environment under hypothermic conditions (~4 C). With currently approved portable organ transport devices, cold conditions are maintained using an ice bath, which lacks the ability to actively control the temperature and conduct comprehensive temperature monitoring. Furthermore, recent scientific advancements in the field show that the optimal preservation temperature varies between -6 C to 37 C, which current organ transport devices cannot provide. An innovative temperature-regulating technology has been developed to address the challenges and limitations in the current market of portable organ preservation devices. This innovative technology has the ability to not only control the organ temperature at a certain set-point but also to dynamically adjust the organ's storage temperature over a wide range without any requirements of an external active power source. The unique functionalities provided by this innovative technology would serve as a game changer in the field of organ transportation devices. The objectives of the proposed work are (i) to optimize the overall design of this novel dynamic temperature-regulating device for its utilization in organ transportation system and, (ii) to conduct validation tests using intact organs to demonstrate its effectiveness for potential commercialization.