Lifeline Scientific, Inc.

Organ Recovery Systems, Inc.

Christopher G Curtis

John Brassil

David C Kravitz

Douglas A Schein

Dickon Isaacs

Andrew Burroughs

Kelvin G M Brockbank

Donald R Owen

Richard T Fraser

Stanley Harris

Dennis J Steibel

Methods for assaying properties in tissues or organs of drugs and other chemical compounds and substances include ex vivo normothermic perfusion with a fluid containing a test substance to obtain data regarding the tissue or organ, the substance and/or an interaction of the substance and the tissue or organ. The data can be used as, for example, part of a submission to a government regulatory organization.

Ex vivo methods for drug discovery, development and testing

An organ perfusion apparatus and method monitor, sustain and/or restore viability of organs and preserve organs for storage and/or transport. Other apparatus include an organ transporter, an organ cassette and an organ diagnostic device. The method includes perfusing the organ at hypothermic and/or normothermic temperatures, preferably after hypothermic organ flushing for organ transport and/or storage. The method can be practiced with prior or subsequent static or perfusion hypothermic exposure of the organ. Organ viability is restored by restoring high energy nucleotide (e.g., ATP) levels by perfusing the organ with a medical fluid, such as an oxygenated cross-linked hemoglobin-based bicarbonate medical fluid, at normothermic temperatures. In perfusion, organ perfusion pressure is preferably controlled in response to a sensor disposed in an end of tubing placed in the organ, by a pneumatically pressurized medical fluid reservoir, providing perfusion pressure fine tuning, overpressurization prevention and emergency flow cut-off. In the hypothermic mode, the organ is perfused with a medical fluid, preferably a simple crystalloid solution containing antioxidants, intermittently or in slow continuous flow. The medical fluid may be fed into the organ from an intermediary tank having a low pressure head to avoid organ overpressurization. Preventing overpressurization prevents or reduces damage to vascular endothelial lining and to organ tissue in general. Viability of the organ may be automatically monitored, preferably by monitoring characteristics of the medical fluid perfusate. The perfusion process can be automatically controlled using a control program.

Method of determining transport and/or storage parameters for maintaining viability of an organ

An organ perfusion apparatus and method monitor, sustain and/or restore viability of organs and preserve organs for storage and/or transport. Other apparatus include an organ transporter, an organ cassette and an organ diagnostic device. The method includes perfusing the organ at hypothermic and/or normothermic temperatures, preferably after hypothermic organ flushing for organ transport and/or storage. The method can be practiced with prior or subsequent static or perfusion hypothermic exposure of the organ. Organ viability is restored by restoring high energy nucleotide (e.g., ATP) levels by perfusing the organ with a medical fluid, such as an oxygenated cross-linked hemoglobin-based bicarbonate medical fluid, at normothermic temperatures. During the period in which the organ is preserved and/or maintained, various drug research and development may be performed on and/or with the organ. The organ may be perfused with a fluid containing a substance such as a test substance to obtain data regarding the organ, the substance and an interaction of the substance and the organ. The data may then be used to ultimately provide information regarding the drugs efficacy in support of regulatory filings for new drugs.

Method of determining that an organ is not suitable for transplantation and using it for testing substances

Growing community of inventors

Cardiff, United Kingdom

Christopher G Curtis