Vascular Perfusion to advance organ transportation through ULiSSES device

Vascular Perfusion Solutions has developed ULiSSES, a new self-contained medical device for organs and limbs transportation, extending the timeframe for organ and limb feasibility.

ULiSSES, which stands for Universal Limb/Organ Stasis System for Extended Storage, is a portable and easy to use device for organ and limb transport, which uses oxygen to preserve and resuscitate vascularized tissue — organs and limbs — for over 24-hours, compared to only 4 to 6 hours with existing systems.

Leonid Bunegin – chief scientific officer, Vascular Perfusion Solutions said: “Our ULiSSES device is designed to be portable, affordable, and easy to use, which makes it more accessible to more hospitals, doctors, and most importantly, transplant patients.”

Licensed by the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, ULiSSES is transported in a commercial airliner and stored in an overhead compartment or under the seat.

The device designed by the San Antonio-based Vascular Perfusion Solutions team can also operate as a bioreactor to grow new skin for burn victims.

ULiSSES device from Vascular Perfusion Solutions. Photo courtesy of Business Wire.

Successfully tested in small animals, the ULiSSES is set for study in large animals to pave way for human testing.

With animal testing to be conducted by the U.S. Army’s Institute of Surgical Research, the company is working with the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, the University of Texas at San Antonio, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the U.S. Department of Defense.

Vascular Perfusion Solutions is currently working to advance ULiSSES device through FDA clearance and to get into early clinical use.

The medical devices company received a Joint Warfighter Medical Research grant from the U.S. Department of Defense in support of this additional work.