Partnership promises to expand liver transplant access, improve organ viability

Editor's Note

A new partnership between OrganOx and ProCure On-Demand aims to increase the number of viable donor livers for transplantation by combining advanced perfusion technology with expert recovery services, Fierce Healthcare reported March 17. The collaboration seeks to reduce the number of discarded organs and improve transplant success rates by expanding the use of normothermic machine perfusion (NMP), a technique that keeps livers metabolically active outside the body.

More than 10,000 liver transplants were performed in 2023—a record number—but many more donated livers go unused due to logistical and assessment challenges, the outlet reports. ProCure CEO and co-founder Zachary Kon, MD, explains that organs often appear unsuitable on paper but could still be viable if properly assessed. With access to NMP technology, transplant teams gain the ability to evaluate liver function before making a final decision, potentially increasing utilization rates.

The OrganOx NMP device, already approved in the US, Europe, Canada, and Australia, has been used in over 5,000 liver transplants, Fierce Healthcare reports. Unlike traditional cold storage, NMP allows donor livers to maintain function and be actively assessed before transplantation, reducing the risk of organ rejection. 

ProCure operates across 53 organ procurement organization service areas and has recovered organs in 46 states and Puerto Rico since launching in late 2020. The company offers transplant centers flexible recovery and logistics services without requiring full-service contracts. While OrganOx operates its own certification program, ProCure’s additional training requirements are designed to further enhance expertise and efficiency, executives say. As detailed in the article, the collaboration comes amid an expansion of machine perfusion in liver transplantation.