Organ Transportation Technology Wins NASA Contest

Congratulations to Drs. Darren Freed and Jayan Nagendran, whose organ transportation machines won NASA’s innovation contest earlier this month in Tampa, Florida, beating out hundreds of firms from Europe and North America.

Tevosol’s Ex Vivo Organ Support System is a portable warm perfusion devices that will help surgeons resuscitate, preserve, transport, evaluate, and transplant more deceased donor organs today and help unlock new sources that will solve the organ shortage tomorrow.

NASA’s potential interest in the project includes: organ transplants in Moon and Mars colonizers and an earthbound research platform for hibernation and radiation protection strategies. The University of Alberta spinoff company, Tevosol, which is commercializing the technology, may gain the use of the International Space Station. Investors were half the panel of judges and much of the audience.

Dr.Nagendran says, “As the winners of this NASA iTech contest it means that Tevosol is now being evaluated by NASA headquarters as a potential strategic partner: It highlights that world-class technology is being developed right here at the U of A in the Department of Surgery.”

Tevosol will be invited to the NASA forum in May to further present its work and collaborative potential to NASA Chief Technology Officers and other US Federal agencies.

It does feel surreal to win a competition of this nature, but it highlights that world-class technology is being developed right here at the U of A in the Department of Surgery. I’m proud to represent our Department as we aspire to save lives by increasing the quantity and quality of viable donor organs for transplantation and develop novel applications for our technology as well," Dr.Nagendran says.