What we’ve accomplished.

• 2008 World’s first use of XVIVO perfusion system, reconditioning and repairing donor lungs for transplantation
• 2009 World’s first use of gene therapy to repair donor lungs
• 2011 World’s first Clinical Trial confirming that XVIVO system effectively improves the function of donor lungs before transplantation into patients
• Diagnostic strategies to assess donor lung usability
• Cellular therapy for genetic diseases of the lung, such as cystic fibrosis
• 43 patients to date have been successfully treated with donor lungs repaired by XVIVO Lung Perfusion System – with the potential of quadrupling the number of lung transplants each year
• Learn more about our work by touring our lab online

What we’re doing now.

Safely and effectively treat and repair damaged donor lungs for transplantation into patients that otherwise might still be on the waiting list

Our team of Scientists found that donor lungs previously thought to be unusable now have the potential to be transplanted with excellent outcomes. They developed the Toronto XVIVO lung system that safely and effectively treats, re-assesses and improves the function of otherwise unusable lungs for transplantation.

We’re replacing sections of the trachea with the help of regenerative medicine.

Disease and injury of the trachea – the airway that leads from the larynx to the lungs – can have serious implications on a sufferer’s ability to breathe and eat. The most common treatment for those with severe conditions of the trachea is a tracheotomy.

A tracheotomy is a life-saving operation; however, it carries with it the real possibility of negative implications, including the loss of one’s ability to speak and the heightened potential of infection.

Right now, our Lung team is working on an alternative to this procedure. They’re taking donor lungs and stripping them of all their cells (in order to avoid the possibility of rejection on behalf of the transplant recipient). They believe that once all the cells are removed, the organ can be restored with the stem cells of the transplant recipient.

If successful, this research will lead directly to a clinical trial. Eventually, full trachea replacements could replace tracheotomies.

What we hope to achieve.

The goal of our Lung team is to develop an unlimited supply of new lung cells. These cells will be used for cellular therapies, as well as to rebuild organs for transplantation.