Big news from the ATP-Bio community: An ambitious proposal focused on advancing organ preservation has taken a major step forward, earning the top score among proposals presented at the XPRIZE Brain Trust Science Conclave in Washington, DC, and has been selected to advance to Global Visioneering—bringing the team one step closer to potentially launching the proposal as a real XPRIZE.
The proposed Organ Preservation XPRIZE brings together leading researchers in cryobiology and organ preservation, including ATP-Bio researchers Shannon Tessier, Ph.D.; John Bischof, Ph.D.; Matt Powell-Palm, Ph.D.; Dominika Wilczok, Ph.D.; and Sebastian Eriksson Giwa, Ph.D. The team is pursuing an ambitious vision: accelerating breakthroughs in the preservation of organs and, ultimately, living systems.
The idea began just one year ago as a conversation over dinner at the Advances in Regenerative and Restorative Medicine (ARDD) meeting. Since then, the concept has developed into a proposal that has advanced through the XPRIZE process and will now move to Global Visioneering, where participants will work to further develop and refine the challenge and explore the potential for funding and launch.
If ultimately funded and launched, an Organ Preservation XPRIZE could help accelerate technologies with the potential to transform transplantation. The vision extends from improving the preservation of organs for transplantation and exploring approaches such as induced torpor, toward advancing the science of whole-organism preservation.
The team credits the broader XPRIZE community for its mentorship, feedback, and support throughout the proposal development process. In particular, Jamie Justice, Ph.D., provided early mentorship and encouragement as the concept took shape, while Eti Shechtman contributed detailed feedback and questions that helped strengthen the proposal. Peter H. Diamandis and Anousheh Ansari have helped lead the XPRIZE organization, while Phnam Bagley, John Callery-Coyne, and Jim Mainard supported the team in refining its pitch.
For ATP-Bio, the advancement highlights the power of collaboration across disciplines and institutions to tackle some of the most challenging problems in biological preservation.
Congratulations to the entire team on this incredible achievement. We’re proud to see ATP-Bio science, collaboration, and innovation helping push the boundaries of what’s possible in biological preservation.
NSF ATP-Bio is an Engineering Research Center
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. EEC 1941543.