OrganOx

Transforming transplantation with the OrganOx metra®. A transportable, automated ex vivo liver perfusion device. The core technology employed by the OrganOx metra® has been in development for over 15 years. During this time both of the founders (Professor Peter Friend and Professor Constantin Coussios) have driven the development of organ preservation and maintenance, formerly at the University of Cambridge and latterly at the University of Oxford. OrganOx Limited was founded in April 2008 as a spin-out from the University of Oxford. Conventional cold preservation involves storage of the liver at 4˚C, using a non-physiological perfusion solution that aims to minimise liver decay. By contrast, warm preservation seeks to re-create an environment that mimics the human body by continuously perfusing at physiological pressures and flows with oxygen-carrying red cells at 37˚C and providing nutrition. The liver is therefore functional during the preservation period, producing bile, metabolizing glucose and maintaining a physiological pH. This enables objective assessment of organ performance prior to transplant, extended preservation times, and the potential use of organs that are presently being discarded.