Normothermic Kidney Preservation Phase 1 (NKP1)

The Phase 1 Normothermic Kidney Preservation Study (NKP1) was a first-in-man study investigating the use of a novel normothermic preservation device for kidney transplantation. The device, developed by OrganOx, perfuses a donor kidney outside the body with oxygenated blood at body temperature, allowing the surgical team to assess function before transplant.

The Phase 1 study recruited 36 kidneys, gradually increasing the duration of preservation up to 24 hours prior to transplant. The demonstrated safety of the device, showing that kidneys could be preserved for up to 24 hours using NMP with no detriment to clinical outcome. This allowed a significant shift towards daytime operating.

The study was funded by a grant from the NIHR i4i scheme.

The full manuscript has been published in Nature Communications, link below.