FOR ORGAN TRANSPLANTS

Globally in 2018, estimated over 140 000 organ transplantations were performed (kidneys: 95 000; livers: 34 000; hearts: 8 000; lungs: 6 000; pancreases: 2 000; small bower: 160). In Europe, on an average year, 41 000 patients are transplanted (63 % kidney, 24 % liver, 6 % heart), while 48 000 new patients are registered on waiting lists. In the USA in 2018, for example, 3755 kidneys (i.e., 17.9 % of the donated kidneys), 278 pancreata, 707 livers, 3 intestines, 23 hearts, and 317 lungs were discarded. There is a great and increasing need for more donated organs and salvaging as many harvested organs as possible.

We aim at salvaging the borderline organs that would otherwise be thrown away. For this, our technology will provide the transplanting surgeon data on the organ degradation during transport and the degradation status on the spot in the operating room.

Transplant quality data provided by our system should also prove valuable to hospitals for documenting that correct transplantation decisions have been made.

FOR ORGAN AND TISSUE REPLACEMENT THERAPY DEVELOPMENT

In the coming decades, laboratory-grown organs will become viable treatments to complement, and in time replace organ transplantations. Similarly, laboratory-grown tissue replacements will eventually become de facto treatments of numerous brain and heart diseases, for example. However, in the basic and preclinical research towards organ and tissue replacement therapies using active tissue replacements, such as organoids, there is currently no method to assess the functinality inside a 3D piece of tissue or organoid.

With our technology, the functionality inside each 3D piece of tissue or organoid can be assessed during tissue replacement research and development and before implantation in preclinical work.

STATUS

The project is preparing commercialization under Tampere University. We are in the process of gathering comprehensive pre-commercialization intelligence and creating a proof of concept.

OrganAnalytics has been granted approx. 800 k€ Reseach to Business Funding for 1.8.2022-31.1.2024 by Business Finland.

OrganAnalytics is a part of the Smart Life Finland Program of Business Finland.

OrganAnalytics is a SPARKee with SPARK Finland. SPARK Finland is a member of SPARK Global network.

THE TEAM

Team Leader, Co-Inventor

Jarno Tanskanen, Assoc. Prof. (Docent), D.Sc. (Tech.)

Business Champion

Donna Kivirauma

Active Advisor, Co-Inventor

Jari Hyttinen, Prof., Ph.D.

Experimentation Expert - Tissue Engineering

Annika Ahtiainen, M.Sc.

Experimentation Expert - Organs

Mari Lehti-Polojärvi, M.Sc.

Design Engineer

Ilmari Tamminen, M.Sc.

THE STEERING GROUP

The Steering Group members participate in their personal capacity.

Rocco van den Berg, Ph.D.
Startup and Corporate Collaborations & Investment Models
Accombine, The Netherlands

Jannis Meents, Ph.D.
Collaborative R&D Coordination for Electrophysiology Hardware and Software and Innovative Devices
Head of Research Projects and Predevelopment, Multi Channel Systems MCS GmbH, Germany

Kevin Myer, M.Sc.
Organ and Tissue Donation in Clinical Research, Patient Safety and Healthcare Systems Leadership
President and Chief Executive Officer, LifeGift, Texas, USA

Gabriella Panuccio, M.D. Ph.D.
Neuroscience, Epilepsy & Electrophysiology
Enhanced Regenerative Medicine, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Italy

Alexander Spicer, B.Sc.
Business Development & Preclinical Studies
Business Development and Licensing Director, Faron Pharmaceuticals, Finland

Matti Majuri
University Innovations & Relations
Innovation Specialist, Innovation Services, Tampere University, Finland