Nationwide Organ Recovery Transport Alliance’s new organ preservation and transport service launches with milestone case of donor lung transported by commercial airline to Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center

WALTHAM, Mass., August 29, 2024–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Paragonix Technologies, a leading organ transplant company, announced the launch of a new donor organ courier service in collaboration with the Nationwide Organ Recovery Transport Alliance (NORA). This initiative represents a fundamental shift in the history of organ transplantation by leveraging modern preservation technologies to provide a cost-effective alternative to air transport for delicate donor organs using commercial flights instead of traditional private charter flights. The Norton Thoracic Institute at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix was the first transplant center to utilize the new logistical support network and successfully transplanted the donor lungs without complications or delays.

“Using commercial flights for organ transplants is critical because it can help bridge the gap between donors and recipients over long distances,” said Michael Smith, M.D., associate chief of thoracic surgery and surgical director of lung transplantation at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Norton Thoracic Institute. “The speed and reliability of commercial flights combined with this innovative technology will be essential to ensure organs arrive in optimal condition.”

Over the past five years, the guidelines that determine how an organ is allocated have been revised to establish a more equitable system of national distribution that gives priority to the sickest patients on the waiting list. However, traditional constraints such as time, personnel and cost still impact the overall distribution system. As a result, in increasing numbers, high-demand private aircraft must be used, which present various challenges such as pilot shortages, distance and weather, to procure time-critical donations that cannot be transported over land.

“We are excited for the clinical community to realize the full potential of Paragonix devices, including in combination with commercial air travel,” said Dr. Lisa Anderson, CEO and co-founder of Paragonix. “The potential that commercial flights represent for the entire field is extraordinary. Today, harvesting an organ on the other side of the country can cost as much as traveling to a neighboring state. We can help minimize greenhouse gas emissions by reducing reliance on private aircraft, which will be one of the most significant environmental improvements ever made in the field of transplantation.”

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The potential of commercial transportation has not escaped government agencies. In May 2024, the President signed the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act, which includes a provision to develop best practices for transporting donor organs in the main cabin of a commercial aircraft. The group will begin creating protocols to mitigate the dangers that organs such as kidneys, which can be transported in the cargo hold of a commercial aircraft, have faced for over 20 years.

While legislation is constantly evolving, the timely introduction of this new transport initiative provides an economical and efficient solution for transporting life-saving organs. It leverages the expertise of NORA and Paragonix to transport the organs on board to their destination, protected in a modern organ preservation system that has been shown in clinical studies to extend the time an organ remains outside the human body.¹ The partnership standardizes and improves cost savings, efficiency and overall reliability in organ transport. NORA’s Care Custody Control program ensures a seamless TSA and commercial flight experience, ultimately benefiting transplant centers and patients awaiting life-saving transplants.

“This combination of advanced technology and experienced courier service enables commercial flight applications that will transform the logistics of organ procurement and better serve the transplant community both locally and nationally,” said Dr. Rajat Walia, medical director of lung transplant at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Norton Thoracic Institute. “Here at the Norton Thoracic Institute, we are proud to be at the forefront of using innovative measures to improve patient care and impact our greater Phoenix community and beyond.”

The case was made possible by the unique capabilities of the BAROguard Donor Lung Preservation System, a device from Paragonix that was released in April of this year. The system is the first FDA-cleared technology that can monitor and maintain the temperature and internal pressure of donor lungs, a significant advance over traditional storage in ice coolers. The lightweight device, which like all Paragonix devices is intentionally compact, is designed to fit in the narrow aisle or seat of an airplane. A NORA representative accompanied the system, along with a Paragonix clinical specialist, on a Southwest flight to the airport outside Dignity Health St. Joseph’s. In total, the lungs were in transit for over six hours, and the recipient is reportedly recovering well.

“This partnership is unique,” said Don Jones, CEO and co-founder of NORA. “Our team specializes in the management and logistics of organ procurement of all types, but has never experienced the need to transport lungs on a commercial flight using advanced organ preservation. We are pleased to support this effort with our world-class courier and shipping system to improve equity in organ access across the country by leveraging the latest advances in Paragonix preservation technology.”

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 offers Advanced Organ Preservation (AOP) devices that protect donor organs during transport between donor and recipient. Our FDA-cleared and CE-marked devices incorporate clinically proven and medically proven cryopreservation techniques that provide unparalleled physical and thermal protection to the organ during transport. All Paragonix AOP devices are natively integrated with our novel digital app, providing real-time organ tracking data and monitoring logistics for transplant teams seeking a secure and centralized solution. For more information, visit www.paragonix.com.

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About the Nationwide Organ Recovery Transport Alliance

The Nationwide Organ Recovery Transport Alliance (NORA) partners with OPOs, transplant centers, hospitals, laboratories and perfusion companies across North America. We specialize in implementing a seamless “one call solution” for transporting organs for organ recovery via air and ground transportation, ensuring optimal efficiency and reliability throughout the process.

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References
1. Ceulemans, L. et al. Prolonged ischemia time (>15 hours) due to controlled hypothermic storage in lung transplantation: A multicenter experience. Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, (2024)

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Contacts

Paragonix Media: Adam Lafreniere, Vice President, Marketing
[email protected]

NORA Media: Matthew Freil, CTP, NRP, PNCCT-S, Director of Customer Development and Relations
[email protected]