LifeGift Among First to Use Groundbreaking First-in-Human Renal Perfusion System

Successful transplantation of a donor kidney with new portable technology marks a major milestone in the organization’s mission to transform the field of organ transplantation.

LifeGift – a health services organization offering hope to individuals needing organ transplants in 109 Texas counties in Southeast, North and West Texas – is among the first to adopt a groundbreaking portable renal perfusion system developed by Paragonix Technologies, a pioneer in organ transplant technologies and organ procurement services. Paragonix Technologies’ medical device is designed to perfuse a kidney and provide real-time insight on the preservation conditions of a kidney in transit between donor and recipient. LifeGift participated in a landmark effort which included the successful transport of four donor kidneys to four separate medical institutions across the nation in a 24-hour period last December. Of the more than 103,000 patients on the organ transplant list, 89,792 are waiting for a kidney transplant.*

“LifeGift is proud to be among the first to adopt this innovative technology. LifeGift is committed to clinical research and new technologies that will help save lives today and in the future. The potential to perfuse donor kidneys in transit with real-time monitoring is an incredible advancement that can increase the availability of high-quality donor kidneys,” says Kevin A. Myer, MSHA, LifeGift president & CEO. “The device allows us to provide our transplant center partners with recovered kidneys that have been perfused throughout the journey regardless of the transportation mode, while providing real-time insight on preservation temperature, pressure, and GPS location. Paragonix’s portable device provides the ability to transport via commercial aircraft significantly decreasing costs compared to charter flights. This will facilitate broader sharing of machine-perfused kidneys and will result in greater use of recovered kidneys for transplant.”

The successful first-in-human use of the KidneyVault System marks a major milestone in Paragonix Technologies’ mission to transform the standard of care in transplantation. Notably, Paragonix now offers advanced preservation technologies across all solid organ transplantation – a world first. “We are fully committed to ensuring every patient has the best possible chance at life,” says Lisa Anderson, PhD, President of Paragonix Technologies. “This achievement highlights the potential of this one-of-a kind portable perfusion technology and sets a new standard for safety, reliability, and efficiency.”

About LifeGift – LifeGift is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) health services organization. As the organ procurement organization (OPO) for North, Southeast and West Texas, we partner with more than 200 hospitals across 109 counties to save and heal lives. LifeGift is a founding member of Donate Life Texas, the organization that manages the organ, eye and tissue donor registry. For more information, please visit LifeGift.org.

About Paragonix Technologies – Paragonix Technologies is a leading developer, manufacturer, and service provider in the organ transplant industry, establishing a novel approach to organ preservation. Paragonix Technologies provides Advanced Organ Preservation (“AOP”) devices that safeguard donor organs during the journey between donor and recipient patients. Our FDA-cleared and CE-marked devices incorporate clinically proven and medically trusted cold preservation techniques that allow unprecedented physical and thermal protection to the organ during transit. All Paragonix AOP devices are natively integrated with our novel digital app, delivering real-time organ tracking data and monitoring logistics for transplant teams seeking a secure and centralized solution. For more information, visit Paragonixtechnologies.com.