BMI OrganBank announces a partnership to advance research for preserving human limbs for transplantation

BMI Organbank is proud to collaborate on a groundbreaking project that has received a $1.5 million grant to advance technology for preserving human limbs for transplantation. Spearheaded by Dr. Jelena M. Janjic of Duquesne University’s School of Pharmacy, this initiative will create novel preservation strategies for human limbs and multiple tissue types, including skin, bone, nerves, and blood vessels—critical components for successful transplants.

At BMI Organbank, we recognize the vital importance of tissue preservation. Maintaining tissue viability for 24 hours or more would mark a significant leap forward, offering the potential to transport donor tissue across large geographic areas while optimizing patient outcomes. The technology being developed in this project could represent a significant advancement beyond current preservation methods and could apply to many other types of transplants beyond limbs.

Project leader Dr. Janjic’s partnership with Dr. Vijay S. Gorantla from Wake Forest Institiute for Regenerative Medicine will focus on evaluating the effectiveness of the novel therapies developed at Duquesne. This collaboration with Faron Pharmaceuticals, led by CEO Dr. Juho Jalkanen, will leverage cutting-edge therapeutics for vascular protection alongside our organ preservation technologies.

Dr. Janjic’s nanotechnology, the first of its kind to be developed using pharmaceutical quality by design standards, uses nanoparticles as oxygen carriers, a crucial element in maintaining tissue health during transplantation. A vital benefit of the quality-by-design process is that the nanoparticles can be manufactured on a large scale, as will be required for clinical use, aligning with BMI Organbank’s mission to enhance organ preservation.