United Therapeutics Achieves Major Milestone With 500th Lung Transplant Via EVLP

United Therapeutics Corporation and its subsidiary, Lung Bioengineering Inc. (LBE), have announced a significant milestone of completing the 500th lung transplant using LBE's centralized ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) service. Since 2014, LBE has analyzed over 800 donated lungs with the technique and has played a vital role in making more lungs available for transplant. 

Lung transplants are complicated due to the fragility of the organ, as only around 20% of donor lungs in the U.S. initially qualify for transplantation. Each year, approximately 300 people die waiting for a lung transplant, and nearly 1,400 patients are currently on the waiting list. Many more could benefit if more viable lungs were available.

Martine Rothblatt, Ph.D., Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of United Therapeutics, said, “At United Therapeutics, our founding purpose has always been to save and improve lives through innovative technologies like those that expand the availability of transplantable organs and organ alternatives. We are proud of the groundbreaking accomplishments at LBE, and this critical milestone serves as a testament to directly fulfilling our public benefit purpose by providing life-changing opportunities for those in need.

She continued, “This critical effort would not be possible without the tireless dedication of the LBE staff, the skilled physicians and hospital teams with whom we partner, and the patients and families we serve. Together, we are making a profound difference in the lives of so many, and we are deeply grateful for the trust placed in us. As we look ahead at the unmet need, we are committed to building on the success of our centers of excellence in Maryland and Florida. We are planning to open additional centralized EVLP centers in North America.”

EVLP is a technique that allows donor lungs to be evaluated outside the body. By flushing, ventilating, and heating the lungs to body temperature, transplant teams can assess their viability in real-time, giving hope to lungs that might otherwise be discarded. LBE uses an FDA-approved EVLP device and its Centralized Lung Evaluation System (CLES) to gather and transmit data via its proprietary OrganVue™ software. This enables transplant physicians to review the lungs remotely and make informed decisions.

LBE’s team of over 30 professionals operates facilities in Maryland and Florida, with donor lungs arriving from all over the U.S., including as far away as Alaska and Puerto Rico. Lungs that pass the EVLP assessment are sent to 25 transplant centers across North America, from Miami to Toronto.

Lung Bioengineerings’ EVLP service is a part of United Therapeutics and provides a more comprehensive platform for developing alternatives to human organ transplants. This multi-layered platform integrates xenotransplantation, bio-artificial organs, regenerative medicine, and 3D bioprinting to create solutions for hearts, kidneys, livers, and lungs. United Therapeutics' subsidiary Miromatrix reported that it had initiated its first human trials of the company's miroliverELAP™ bioengineered liver. After all approvals, it said it would start clinical studies of the UKidney™ xenokidney in 2025.