EXTON, PA — Lungpacer Medical Inc. said a study involving 50 organ donors found that temporary diaphragm neurostimulation improved donor lung function and increased the number of lungs available for transplantation, a potential advance in addressing chronic shortages of transplantable organs.
The findings from the DONATE study were presented at the American Transplant Congress 2026 in Boston by Dr. Gary F. Marklin, chief medical and research officer at Mid-America Transplant in St. Louis.
Only about one in five donor lungs are ultimately recovered for transplant, according to the company, contributing to an estimated 20% mortality rate among patients on lung transplant waiting lists.
Lungpacer said its SupAira neurostimulation technology uses a transvenous system to activate the diaphragm in brain-dead donors receiving mechanical ventilation. The approach is intended to reduce atelectasis, or lung collapse, and improve oxygenation, two factors that frequently cause otherwise viable donor lungs to be rejected.
In the study, lungs from 51.1% of donors who received diaphragm neurostimulation were transplanted, compared with 33.7% of matched historical controls, a statistically significant difference with a p-value of 0.031.
The study also found an observed-to-expected lung transplantation ratio of 1.44 among donors receiving neurostimulation, compared with 1.10 in the control group. The metric measures how many organs are ultimately transplanted relative to the number predicted by national risk models.
“Roughly three out of four brain-dead donors develop basilar atelectasis, and it is one of the main reasons otherwise transplantable lungs are turned down,” Marklin said in a statement. “In a situation where every available lung can save a life, the potential impact on the lung donor pool is very significant and important.”
The DONATE study enrolled brain-dead donors with impaired oxygenation, defined by a P/F ratio below 300 mm Hg, and evidence of basilar lung opacities on chest imaging. Neurostimulation was initiated within hours of admission to the donor care unit.
Outcomes were compared with 176 matched donors treated by Mid-America Transplant using standard donor management procedures.
Doug Evans, president and chief executive officer of Lungpacer, said the results suggest the technology could expand the number of donor lungs available for transplantation.
“Every year, thousands of patients die waiting for a lung transplant while most donor lungs are never recovered,” Evans said. “These results show that diaphragm neurostimulation delivered by SupAira can improve respiratory care, so more lungs generously gifted by these donors are available for the patients who need them.”
Lungpacer, based in Exton, develops neurostimulation therapies for critically ill patients and is expanding the use of its platform into organ donor management as it seeks new applications for the technology.
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