Tech Briefs Magazine - August 2022 - 16

Superior Organ Transport Moves Forward
A life-saving device extends the life of organs for transplants.
R
ight now there are more than 100,000 people in need of an
organ. The long list isn't just an issue of supply and demand,
but of delivery too. When a heart becomes available, a four-hour
clock starts ticking - it has to be put on ice, shipped to where
it's needed, and patient, surgeon and support staff have to be
summoned. If that takes longer than four hours, the chance of
a body accepting the organ diminishes rapidly. By six hours, it's
pretty much too late.
But if that heart could be kept alive for longer, the chance of
getting hearts to patients that need them would skyrocket. Now,
thanks to the work of researchers at Vascular Perfusion Solutions,
there's a device that can do just that. In fact, it won its inventors
the SAE's Create the Future Design Contest award in 2019.
At that time, it was called the ULiSSES (for Universal Limb/
Organ Stasis System for Extended Storage). Instead of using ice
for preservation, the device pumped oxygen into the aorta of a
heart, or a major artery of other organs or limbs. That prototype
(developed by one of the company's founders, Leonid Bunegin)
was 3D printed, assembled by hand, and used no electricity
- all its power needs came from the expansion of the
compressed oxygen.
Since then, it's come a long way. " The first device was maybe
like a fast car, like a Mustang. What we have now is like a Ferrari,
but affordable - it's amazing, " said Rafael Veraza, the Director of
Translational Science at the company. " We're using the same
principles, but now we've hired engineers with medical device
experience to perfect it and make it more efficient. "
The new version is still primarily powered by compressed oxygen
but has been reengineered to consume less. It includes a
backup pump in case one fails, and sensors and a display for
monitoring system performance. And now it's called the VPS
2019 GRAND PRIZE WINNER
INNOVATORS: Rafael J. Veraza
(left), Leonid Bunegin, and Tom
DeBrooke
INNOVATION: A medical device
extends organ and limb viability by
providing organ and limb resuscitation,
preservation, and transport
capabilities.
IMPACT: By keeping organs alive for prolonged periods of
time, the device has the potential to save many lives.
Learn more about our 20th
16
www.createthefuturecontest.com
Anniversary Contest at
ENCORE. But the biggest change is the amount of experience
the device has seen. It's already been used with over 66 pig hearts
and even several human hearts (that were previously deemed
not acceptable for a transplant).
The company has also completed an experiment where they
took a heart from one sheep and transplanted it in another,
once with the traditional on-ice method and once with the ENCORE.
The animal that received the heart with the new device
spent less time on the heart and lung machine, required less
medication to keep the heart pumping, had less inflammation,
and required less pace-making to help it beat.
VPS has been focusing on hearts because they're in high demand
and are the hardest organ to keep viable. But the company
plans to create devices for other organs as well. They're also
working on other methods of keeping organs alive for prolonged
periods of time. For instance, they are running a study
testing compounds that would induce hibernation to extend
organ viability. " Persevering organs on demand could really
change how transplants are done, " said Veraza. " It sounds like
sci-fi, but you could have scheduled transplants, and preserve
organs on demand - you'd basically have organ banking. "
As a result of the device's successes - and potential - the
FDA has given the ENCORE " Breakthrough Device " designation.
Now the company can work more efficiently with the agency
to move quickly toward approval. A human clinical trial is
likely to start within a year and a half.
" We see the potential for this machine to save many lives, "
said Veraza. " In an ideal world we want this device to be in every
transplant center in the world. "
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Tech Briefs, August 2022
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Tech Briefs Magazine - August 2022

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