An uncrewed aerial transport system will move donated human organs across three cities today to prove it could be the future of organ donation and transplantation. LifeShare is conducting groundbreaking research in hopes of revolutionizing transport in the organ donation process. An uncrewed aerial transport system will achieve an important milestone: the farthest distance donated organs have been transported by an uncrewed aerial system.
LifeShare, the organization in the state responsible for organ and tissue donation, along with two other organ procurement organizations (OPOs), LifeGift and Texas Sharing Organ Alliance (TOSA) has partnered with the Matador Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) Consortium, co-developed by Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTU HSC) and 2THEDGE, LLC., to conduct a beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) uncrewed aerial transport (UAS) to test the ability to successfully move organs and blood between Lubbock, Oklahoma City and San Antonio. The test took place on Tuesday, November 15th with the UAS flight originating in Lubbock, traveling 354 miles to Oklahoma City, and then traveling 462 miles to San Antonio.
This is the first time that donated organs were transported this far a distance by an aerial system that was operated using robotic technology. The Optionally Piloted Aircraft (OPA) transported a donated human liver, kidney, and pancreas between the three cities. Although there was a pilot on board per FAA regulations, the plane was flown entirely by technology onboard. The organs were donated for clinical research and were not transplanted following the flight demonstration.
The three organ procurement organizations’ proposed use of this groundbreaking UAS technology aims to improve transport of donated organs and tissues in rural areas to better serve patients.
LifeGift, LifeShare and TOSA’s shared objectives include:
- Address transportation challenges in the facilitation of organs for transplant and minimize the time between organ recovery and transplantation.
- Test the efficacy of transporting organs and biological materials via Uncrewed Aerial Transport (UAS) technology from hospitals in rural areas to transplant programs.
- Increase efficiency of the logistics involved in the testing of blood and biological material to allocate organs and the recovery of donated organs.
- Continue to drive innovation and technology to better serve all patients especially those located in rural areas.
“We are excited about the opportunities this groundbreaking research could bring, including revolutionizing transportation in the donation field,” LifeShare President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Orlowski said. “Our partnership with the Matador UAS Consortium will in turn help us maximize the gift to save more lives through organ, eye and tissue donation.”
