R44DK139895
Project Grant
Overview
Grant Description
Platform for extended kidney preservation via subnormothermic perfusion - Kidney transplantation is currently the optimal renal replacement therapy due to reduced morbidity and mortality, better quality of life, and decreased cost compared to dialysis.
However, transplants remain severely limited by a shortage of donor kidneys available for transplantation, with over 90,000 patients on the waiting list.
This imbalance in supply and demand has resulted in a strong desire to use high-risk kidney grafts from older donors and donors after circulatory death (DCD).
These high-risk kidney grafts often incur significant injury during preservation and transportation prior to transplantation, leading to diminished graft survival.
As such, high-risk kidney grafts are discarded at high rates because of the inability to predict their function.
To improve the preservation and acceptance of high-risk kidney grafts, including DCD kidneys, investigators at the Duke Ex Vivo Organ Lab (DEVOL) and Biomedinnovations LLC (BMI) have developed a unique subnormothermic (22-25°C, approximately room temperature) oxygenated perfusion platform, consisting of a perfusion device and matched “DEVOL solution”.
Pilot studies using a porcine model of DCD kidney transplantation demonstrated significant improvements in post-transplant kidney graft function versus the historical standard of care, static cold storage (SCS).
Consistent with the NIDDK SBIR research priority “development of devices or techniques to enhance the long-term success of kidney transplantation (e.g., techniques for kidney storage and preservation)”, this project will generate evidence that the BMI platform provides superior performance to the current standard of care for high-risk kidneys, namely hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP).
Availability of this data would result in this technology rapidly moving forward to commercialization.
The project includes specific aims to 1) optimize the engineering aspects of BMI’s platform (consisting of the device and perfusate); 2) determine, ex-vivo, the impact of warm ischemic injury and duration of device preservation on kidney graft injury for the BMI platform versus the current standard of care; and 3) compare the function of high-risk kidney grafts preserved with the BMI platform versus the current standard of care using a porcine kidney auto-transplant model.
The outcome of this project will include preclinical evidence that demonstrates that BMI’s platform is likely to provide a meaningful advance over the current standard of care when used in humans and advance the platform towards commercialization.
This will help BMI to secure further investment, successfully engage with regulators and ultimately, gain customer adoption that leads to improved access to kidneys for those on the transplant waiting list.
However, transplants remain severely limited by a shortage of donor kidneys available for transplantation, with over 90,000 patients on the waiting list.
This imbalance in supply and demand has resulted in a strong desire to use high-risk kidney grafts from older donors and donors after circulatory death (DCD).
These high-risk kidney grafts often incur significant injury during preservation and transportation prior to transplantation, leading to diminished graft survival.
As such, high-risk kidney grafts are discarded at high rates because of the inability to predict their function.
To improve the preservation and acceptance of high-risk kidney grafts, including DCD kidneys, investigators at the Duke Ex Vivo Organ Lab (DEVOL) and Biomedinnovations LLC (BMI) have developed a unique subnormothermic (22-25°C, approximately room temperature) oxygenated perfusion platform, consisting of a perfusion device and matched “DEVOL solution”.
Pilot studies using a porcine model of DCD kidney transplantation demonstrated significant improvements in post-transplant kidney graft function versus the historical standard of care, static cold storage (SCS).
Consistent with the NIDDK SBIR research priority “development of devices or techniques to enhance the long-term success of kidney transplantation (e.g., techniques for kidney storage and preservation)”, this project will generate evidence that the BMI platform provides superior performance to the current standard of care for high-risk kidneys, namely hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP).
Availability of this data would result in this technology rapidly moving forward to commercialization.
The project includes specific aims to 1) optimize the engineering aspects of BMI’s platform (consisting of the device and perfusate); 2) determine, ex-vivo, the impact of warm ischemic injury and duration of device preservation on kidney graft injury for the BMI platform versus the current standard of care; and 3) compare the function of high-risk kidney grafts preserved with the BMI platform versus the current standard of care using a porcine kidney auto-transplant model.
The outcome of this project will include preclinical evidence that demonstrates that BMI’s platform is likely to provide a meaningful advance over the current standard of care when used in humans and advance the platform towards commercialization.
This will help BMI to secure further investment, successfully engage with regulators and ultimately, gain customer adoption that leads to improved access to kidneys for those on the transplant waiting list.
Awardee
Funding Goals
(1) TO PROMOTE EXTRAMURAL BASIC AND CLINICAL BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH THAT IMPROVES THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING DISEASE AND LEADS TO IMPROVED PREVENTIONS, DIAGNOSIS, AND TREATMENT OF DIABETES, DIGESTIVE, AND KIDNEY DISEASES. PROGRAMMATIC AREAS WITHIN THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DIABETES AND DIGESTIVE AND KIDNEY DISEASES INCLUDE DIABETES, DIGESTIVE, ENDOCRINE, HEMATOLOGIC, LIVER, METABOLIC, NEPHROLOGIC, NUTRITION, OBESITY, AND UROLOGIC DISEASES. SPECIFIC PROGRAMS AREAS OF INTEREST INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: (A) FOR DIABETES, ENDOCRINE, AND METABOLIC DISEASES AREAS: FUNDAMENTAL AND CLINICAL STUDIES INCLUDING THE ETIOLOGY, PATHOGENESIS, PREVENTION, DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND CURE OF DIABETES MELLITUS AND ITS COMPLICATIONS, NORMAL AND ABNORMAL FUNCTION OF THE PITUITARY, THYROID, PARATHYROID, ADRENAL, AND OTHER HORMONE SECRETING GLANDS, HORMONAL REGULATION OF BONE, ADIPOSE TISSUE, AND LIVER, ON FUNDAMENTAL ASPECTS OF SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION, INCLUDING THE ACTION OF HORMONES, COREGULATORS, AND CHROMATIN REMODELING PROTEINS, HORMONE BIOSYNTHESIS, SECRETION, METABOLISM, AND BINDING, AND ON HORMONAL REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION AND THE ROLE(S) OF SELECTIVE RECEPTOR MODULATORS AS PARTIAL AGONISTS OR ANTAGONISTS OF HORMONE ACTION, AND FUNDAMENTAL STUDIES RELEVANT TO METABOLIC DISORDERS INCLUDING MEMBRANE STRUCTURE, FUNCTION, AND TRANSPORT PHENOMENA AND ENZYME BIOSYNTHESIS, AND BASIC AND CLINICAL STUDIES ON THE ETIOLOGY, PATHOGENESIS, PREVENTION, AND TREATMENT OF INHERITED METABOLIC DISORDERS (SUCH AS CYSTIC FIBROSIS). (B) FOR DIGESTIVE DISEASE AND NUTRITION AREAS: GENETICS AND GENOMICS OF THE GI TRACT AND ITS DISEASES, GENETICS AND GENOMICS OF LIVER/PANCREAS AND DISEASES, GENETICS AND GENOMICS OF NUTRITION, GENETICS AND GENOMICS OF OBESITY, BARIATRIC SURGERY, CLINICAL NUTRITION RESEARCH, CLINICAL OBESITY RESEARCH, COMPLICATIONS OF CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE, FATTY LIVER DISEASE, GENETIC LIVER DISEASE, HIV AND LIVER, CELL INJURY, REPAIR, FIBROSIS AND INFLAMMATION IN THE LIVER, LIVER CANCER, LIVER TRANSPLANTATION, PEDIATRIC LIVER DISEASE, VIRAL HEPATITIS AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES, GASTROINTESTINAL AND NUTRITION EFFECTS OF AIDS, GASTROINTESTINAL MUCOSAL AND IMMUNOLOGY, GASTROINTESTINAL MOTILITY, BASIC NEUROGASTROENTEROLOGY, GASTROINTESTINAL DEVELOPMENT, GASTROINTESTINAL EPITHELIAL BIOLOGY, GASTROINTESTINAL INFLAMMATION, DIGESTIVE DISEASES EPIDEMIOLOGY AND DATA SYSTEMS, NUTRITIONAL EPIDEMIOLOGY AND DATA SYSTEMS, AUTOIMMUNE LIVER DISEASE, BILE, BILIRUBIN AND CHOLESTASIS, BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY RELATED TO DIGESTIVE DISEASES, LIVER, NUTRITION AND OBESITY, CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE LIVER, DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY AND REGENERATION, DRUG-INDUCED LIVER DISEASE, GALLBLADDER DISEASE AND BILIARY DISEASES, EXOCRINE PANCREAS BIOLOGY AND DISEASES, GASTROINTESTINAL NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY, GASTROINTESTINAL TRANSPORT AND ABSORPTION, NUTRIENT METABOLISM, PEDIATRIC CLINICAL OBESITY, CLINICAL TRIALS IN DIGESTIVE DISEASES, LIVER CLINICAL TRIALS, OBESITY PREVENTION AND TREATMENT, AND OBESITY AND EATING DISORDERS. (C) FOR KIDNEY, UROLOGIC AND HEMATOLOGIC DISEASES AREAS: STUDIES OF THE DEVELOPMENT, PHYSIOLOGY, AND CELL BIOLOGY OF THE KIDNEY, PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF THE KIDNEY, GENETICS OF KIDNEY DISORDERS, IMMUNE MECHANISMS OF KIDNEY DISEASE, KIDNEY DISEASE AS A COMPLICATION OF DIABETES, EFFECTS OF DRUGS, NEPHROTOXINS AND ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS ON THE KIDNEY, MECHANISMS OF KIDNEY INJURY REPAIR, IMPROVED DIAGNOSIS, PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE AND END-STAGE RENAL DISEASE, IMPROVED APPROACHES TO MAINTENANCE DIALYSIS THERAPIES, BASIC STUDIES OF LOWER URINARY TRACT CELL BIOLOGY, DEVELOPMENT, PHYSIOLOGY, AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGY, CLINICAL STUDIES OF BLADDER DYSFUNCTION, INCONTINENCE, PYELONEPHRITIS, INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS, BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA, UROLITHIASIS, AND VESICOURETERAL REFLUX, DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS AND IMPROVED THERAPIES, INCLUDING TISSUE ENGINEERING STRATEGIES, FOR UROLOGIC DISORDERS,RESEARCH ON HEMATOPOIETIC CELL DIFFERENTIATION, METABOLISM OF IRON OVERLOAD AND DEFICIENCY, STRUCTURE, BIOSYNTHESIS AND GENETIC REGULATION OF HEMOGLOBIN, AS WELL AS RESEARCH ON THE ETIOLOGY, PATHOGENESIS, AND THERAPEUTIC MODALITIES FOR THE ANEMIA OF INFLAMMATION AND CHRONIC DISEASES. (2) TO ENCOURAGE BASIC AND CLINICAL RESEARCH TRAINING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTISTS DURING THE EARLY STAGES OF THEIR CAREERS. THE RUTH L. KIRSCHSTEIN NATIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE AWARD (NRSA) FUNDS BASIC AND CLINICAL RESEARCH TRAINING, SUPPORT FOR CAREER DEVELOPMENT, AND THE TRANSITION FROM POSTDOCTORAL BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH TRAINING TO INDEPENDENT RESEARCH RELATED TO DIABETES, DIGESTIVE, ENDOCRINE, HEMATOLOGIC, LIVER, METABOLIC, NEPHROLOGIC, NUTRITION, OBESITY, AND UROLOGIC DISEASES. (3) TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE THE SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM. THE SBIR PROGRAM AIMS TO INCREASE AND FACILITATE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, TO ENHANCE SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. (4) TO UTILIZE THE SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM. THE STTR PROGRAM INTENDS TO STIMULATE AND FOSTER SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CARRIED OUT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION.
Grant Program (CFDA)
Awarding / Funding Agency
Place of Performance
Winston Salem,
North Carolina
271013059
United States
Geographic Scope
Single Zip Code
Related Opportunity
Analysis Notes
Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 89% from $1,870,135 to $3,527,840.
Biomedinnovations was awarded
Subnormothermic Perfusion for High-Risk Kidney Grafts
Project Grant R44DK139895
worth $3,527,840
from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in September 2024 with work to be completed primarily in Winston Salem North Carolina United States.
The grant
has a duration of 1 year 9 months and
was awarded through assistance program 93.847 Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research.
The Project Grant was awarded through grant opportunity PHS 2023-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Not Allowed).
SBIR Details
Research Type
SBIR Phase II
Title
Platform for Extended Kidney Preservation Via Subnormothermic Perfusion
Abstract
Kidney transplantation is currently the optimal renal replacement therapy due to reduced morbidity and mortality, better quality of life, and decreased cost compared to dialysis. However, transplants remain severely limited by a shortage of donor kidneys available for transplantation, with over 90,000 patients on the waiting list. This imbalance in supply and demand has resulted in a strong desire to use high-risk kidney grafts from older donors and donors after circulatory death (DCD). These high-risk kidney grafts often incur significant injury during preservation and transportation prior to transplantation, leading to diminished graft survival. As such, high-risk kidney grafts are discarded at high rates because of the inability to predict their function. To improve the preservation and acceptance of high-risk kidney grafts, including DCD kidneys, investigators at the Duke Ex Vivo Organ Lab (DEVOL) and BioMedInnovations LLC (BMI) have developed a unique subnormothermic (22-25°C, approximately room temperature) oxygenated perfusion platform, consisting of a perfusion device and matched “DEVOL solution”. Pilot studies using a porcine model of DCD kidney transplantation demonstrated significant improvements in post-transplant kidney graft function versus the historical standard of care, static cold storage (SCS). Consistent with the NIDDK SBIR research priority “development of devices or techniques to enhance the long- term success of kidney transplantation (e.g., techniques for kidney storage and preservation)”, this project will generate evidence that the BMI platform provides superior performance to the current standard of care for high- risk kidneys, namely hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP). Availability of this data would result in this technology rapidly moving forward to commercialization. The project includes Specific Aims to 1) optimize the engineering aspects of BMI’s platform (consisting of the device and perfusate); 2) determine, ex-vivo, the impact of warm ischemic injury and duration of device preservation on kidney graft injury for the BMI platform versus the current standard of care; and 3) compare the function of high-risk kidney grafts preserved with the BMI platform versus the current standard of care using a porcine kidney auto-transplant model. The outcome of this project will include preclinical evidence that demonstrates that BMI’s platform is likely to provide a meaningful advance over the current standard of care when used in humans and advance the platform towards commercialization. This will help BMI to secure further investment, successfully engage with regulators and ultimately, gain customer adoption that leads to improved access to kidneys for those on the transplant waiting list.
Topic Code
400
Solicitation Number
PA23-230
Status
(Ongoing)
Last Modified 9/5/25
Period of Performance
9/20/24
Start Date
6/30/26
End Date
Funding Split
$3.5M
Federal Obligation
$0.0
Non-Federal Obligation
$3.5M
Total Obligated
Activity Timeline
Transaction History
Modifications to R44DK139895
Additional Detail
Award ID FAIN
R44DK139895
SAI Number
R44DK139895-4232309361
Award ID URI
SAI UNAVAILABLE
Awardee Classifications
Small Business
Awarding Office
75NK00 NIH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Funding Office
75NK00 NIH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Awardee UEI
MFT5VYJ43LL5
Awardee CAGE
8KA42
Performance District
NC-10
Senators
Thom Tillis
Ted Budd
Ted Budd
Modified: 9/5/25