After making great strides with its organ preservation hardware for transporting donated hearts and lungs, Paragonix Technologies is making the jump to becoming a full transplant logistics provider.
The company said it has established a nationwide organ procurement network consisting of more than 50 certified surgeons and preservation specialists, as well as seven supply hubs in strategically placed locations across the U.S.
“Optimizing every facet of a donor organ’s journey is our core mission,” Paragonix President and CEO Lisa Anderson said in a statement.
“We are wholly dedicated to augmenting the commendable work of transplant centers and organ procurement organizations,” Anderson said. “With this expansion, Paragonix enters into a new chapter, markedly enhancing our comprehensive offerings to provide transplant centers with mission-critical resources to optimize the utilization of donor organs.”
The move comes shortly after the company announced the first-in-human use of its active lung preservation system, BAROguard, in mid-November following its clearance by the FDA in August.
BAROguard represents an upgrade over Paragonix’s previous LUNGguard system—which has been used to transport more than 500 preserved donor lungs, including one transcontinental journey that spanned 13 hours and over 4,700 miles—with the addition of an automated system that controls the air pressure within the tissue, keeping the lung inflated while also maintaining a gentle cold temperature.
The company’s hardware, with units also designed for hearts and livers, are shaped like small rolling coolers and offer GPS tracking and temperature monitoring.