New technology makes donated kidneys usable again

There are more than 120,000 people in the United States of America alone waiting for a life-saving kidney donation. 34 people in the USA disappear from this waiting list every day: they either become too sick to receive an organ transplant or they die.

34 Lives is taking that number and wanting to change it. In 2021, CEO Chris Gaines and COO Kathleen St. Jean founded the startup with over 30 years of experience in medicine and organ transplantation.

Together they have developed a new technique for a better approach: by “extending the time of preservation of unused kidneys,” as they say, it becomes possible to actually transplant more donor kidneys. 30% of the kidneys intended for transplantation are discarded.

The reason for this, among other things, is the long or error-prone transportation routes: the life expectancy and function of the donor organ decrease with every minute. If it is transported or stored outside the body for more than 20 hours, surgeons often reject the kidney.

“34 Lives” requests those kidneys that are rejected by surgeons but meet the company's standards. They are then kept “alive and healthy while maintaining their natural warm heat.”

“Normal temperature” means that the average body temperature is 37 degrees. The company also evaluates the kidneys and sends additional data to surgeons.

Ten kidneys have already been saved through the extended preservation process. All ten were successfully transplanted.

In 2022, more than 7,800 kidneys were removed for transplantation in the United States but were eventually discarded. In the future, “34 Lives” can ensure that thousands of stories will find a better ending.