Paragonix Technologies, a leading organ transplant company, announced the launch of a new donor organ courier service in partnership with Nationwide Organ Recovery Transport Alliance (NORA). This initiative is a fundamental shift in the history of organ transplantation, utilizing advanced preservation technology to provide sensitive donor organs with a cost-effective alternative of air transportation on commercial flights rather than traditional private charters. Notably, 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, successfully transplanting the donor lungs without complication or delay.
“Utilizing commercial airfare for organ transplants is crucial, as it can help bridge the gap between donors and recipients across vast distances,” said Dr. Michael Smith, Associate Chief of Thoracic Surgery and Surgical Director of Lung Transplantation at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Norton Thoracic Institute. “The swiftness and reliability of commercial flights in combination with this innovative technology will be indispensable in ensuring organs arrive in optimal condition.”
In the past five years, the policies that determine how an organ is allocated have been revised to establish a more equitable system of national distribution that prioritizes the sickest patients on the waiting list – yet traditional limitations, such as time, manpower and cost, still impact the overall distribution system. As a result, more cases require the utilization of high-demand private aircraft, which are associated with various challenges such as pilot shortages, distance and weather, to procure time-sensitive donations that are located beyond the means of ground transport.
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“We are excited for the clinical community to utilize Paragonix devices to their full potential, including in combination with commercial air transportation,” said Dr. Lisa Anderson, CEO and co-founder of Paragonix. “The potential that commercial flights represent to the field at large is extraordinary. Now, recovering an organ from across the country can cost the equivalent of traveling to a neighboring state. We can help minimize greenhouse gas emissions by reducing reliance on private jet carriers, which will be one of the most significant environmental improvements ever brought to transplantation.”
The potential of commercial transportation has not gone unnoticed by governmental authorities. In May of 2024, the president signed into law the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act, which included a provision to develop best practices regarding the travel of donor organs in the main cabin of a commercial airliner. The group will begin establishing protocols to mitigate the hazards that organs such as kidneys, which can be shipped in the cargo hold of a commercial aircraft, have experienced for over 20 years.
While legislation continues to develop, the timely launch of this new transportation initiative offers an economical and efficient solution to the transit of life-saving organs today by leveraging the expertise of both NORA and Paragonix to courier organs on-board to their destination, protected in an advanced organ preservation system which has been shown in clinical studies to extend the time an organ can stay out of a human body.1 The partnership standardizes and enhances cost savings, efficiencies, and overall reliability in organ transportation. NORA’s Care-Custody-Control program leads to a seamless TSA and commercial air experience, ultimately benefiting transplant centers and patients awaiting life-saving transplants.
SOURCE: Businesswire