BMI OrganBank Secures $3.5 Million NIH Grant to Advance Innovative Kidney Preservation Technology Towards Clinical Trials

- BMI OrganBank® is developing novel organ preservation systems with potential to significantly reduce the waitlist for lifesaving organ transplants, beginning with kidneys

- Collaboration with Duke and UNC aims to enhance organ quality assessment and extend preservation times for kidney transplants

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Nov. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- BMI OrganBank today announced that it has been awarded a $3.5 million Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The funding will support further development of the company's groundbreaking kidney preservation technology with the goal of preparing it for clinical trials and FDA approval.

This grant follows promising preclinical results from BMI OrganBank's partnership with Duke University's Ex Vivo Organ Laboratory (DEVOL), which demonstrated the potential of the company's warm perfusion system to enhance organ quality assessment and extend ex-vivo (outside the body) preservation times for donated kidneys.

Millions of registered organ donors die every year, but only a small fraction have their kidneys transplanted. As a result, almost 90,000 Americans are on the waiting list for lifesaving kidney transplants. This imbalance in supply and demand could be addressed by the greater use of kidneys from older donors and donors after circulatory death (DCD). With current organ preservation technologies, which use cold temperatures, it can be difficult to evaluate the quality of these kidneys before transplant. Furthermore, they are vulnerable to significant injury during the storage period before transplantation. As such, clinicians and patients are reluctant to use them.

BMI OrganBank's warm perfusion platform offers a solution by providing a more effective method of preserving kidneys outside the body. This technology allows for new methods of organ quality assessment and extended preservation times, potentially increasing the number of kidneys available for transplant and helping to address the critical shortage of organs.

Robert Neusner, President and Chief Operating Officer of BMI OrganBank, is co-leading this project with nationally respected transplant and nephrology experts Dr. Andrew Barbas of Duke University and Dr. Prabir Roy-Chaudhury of University of North Carolina (UNC). Their combined expertise will help refine the device for clinical use and validate its potential to enhance kidney transplant outcomes. 

"We are incredibly honored to receive this significant grant from the NIH, which marks a pivotal step forward for BMI OrganBank," stated Carrie DiMarzio, Chief Executive Officer. "This funding will not only accelerate the development of our kidney preservation technology but also brings us closer to addressing the urgent need to increase the transplantation of donated kidneys. This collaboration with our esteemed partners at Duke and UNC underscores our commitment to innovation and our mission to save lives."

This grant is supported by the National Institute Of Diabetes And Digestive And Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R44DK139895. The content of this press release is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

About BMI OrganBank®

BMI OrganBank develops novel perfusion systems that can evaluate and preserve organs and tissues. BMI has research facilities in the Innovation Accelerator at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC and in Research Triangle Park, NC. BMI OrganBank has multiple medical devices in development that use its patented and proprietary technologies. Its first product to launch will be the OrganBank Transport device, which was developed in partnership with Duke University researchers at the Duke Ex-Vivo Organ Laboratory (DEVOL). BMI is currently conducting a seed funding round. To learn more, visit bmiorganbank.com.

About the Duke University Ex Vivo Organ Lab

The Duke University Ex Vivo Lab (DEVOL) focuses on the development of novel strategies to enhance the function of high-risk transplanted organs. At present, much of their work involves the use of ex vivo organ perfusion technology, in which grafts are maintained in a metabolically active state outside the body. This platform provides the opportunity to assess the viability of the organ and to deliver therapeutic treatments to enhance graft function. To learn more, visit surgery.duke.edu/divisions/abdominal-transplant-surgery/research/research-laboratories/duke-ex-vivo-organ-laboratory.

About the UNC Kidney Center

The UNC Kidney Center is a comprehensive research and clinical care facility dedicated to advancing the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of kidney diseases. As part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the center brings together leading experts in nephrology, transplant medicine, and related fields to provide innovative care for patients with kidney conditions. It focuses on both the clinical and research aspects of kidney health, including chronic kidney disease, kidney transplantation, and dialysis. Through cutting-edge research, the UNC Kidney Center works to develop new therapies, improve patient outcomes, and train the next generation of healthcare professionals in the field of nephrology. To learn more, visit unckidneycenter.org.

SOURCE BMI OrganBank