Karius® and eGenesis, Inc. are partnering to revolutionize the treatment of organ failure through xenotransplantation. Combining Karius’ liquid biopsy platform with eGenesis’ human-compatible organs and cells, they will develop diagnostics to detect and quantify any potential pathogens in porcine organ donors, with the ultimate goal of providing safe and effective treatments for humans. This breakthrough partnership marks a major step forward in the fight against organ failure and could potentially save millions of lives.
Karius and eGenesis are joining forces to revolutionize the surveillance and diagnosis of potential infection in both porcine organ donors and recipients before and after transplantation. By early 2024, the two companies will have developed an expanded platform that utilizes microbial cell-free DNA detection, allowing for unprecedented accuracy and effectiveness. This collaboration will set a new standard for pre- and post-transplant care, providing long-term benefits for both organ donors and recipients.
Every year in the US, over 100,000 people wait in vain for an organ transplant, with 6,000 of them sadly passing away before the process is complete. However, the field of xenotransplantation is working to provide a solution, advancing rapidly to genetically modify animal-derived organs for successful transplantation into humans. While this is a great step forward, infection remains an ever-present threat.
At eGenesis, we are dedicated to protecting patients from the risk of xenogeneic disease transfer through our revolutionary EGEN™ Platform. This cutting-edge gene editing technology allows us to precisely inactivate all detectable copies of endogenous retrovirus sequences in the porcine genome, thus guaranteeing prevention of any virus transmission from the organ donor to the recipient. With our groundbreaking approach to xenotransplantation, we are paving the way for a safer future.
At eGenesis, we are committed to using gene-editing technology to engineer human-compatible organs to address the organ shortage. Through our partnership with the University of Pittsburgh, we are taking further steps to ensure the safety of xenotransplantation by broadly monitoring for infection transmission between species.
We are taking numerous measures to guarantee our porcine donors are free from infectious agents, allowing us to make xenotransplantation safe and accessible to those in need.
Karius is thrilled to be taking this important step forward with eGenesis in making xenotransplantation accessible to those who stand to benefit from it. Our non-invasive and rapid pathogen detection method is perfect for patients who have undergone a solid organ transplant, as they face a greater risk of infection than most. With our partnership, we can help ensure that the transplant process is safer and more successful for everyone.
In a groundbreaking medical breakthrough, technology developed by Karius was able to detect a porcine pathogen, cytomegalovirus, in a patient who underwent the world’s first xenotransplant.
The detection was made through serial testing of microbial cell-free DNA, and was later confirmed with other technologies. This remarkable finding was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and was sustained over 60 days post transplant.
Karius’ cutting-edge technology is revolutionizing the way we detect pathogens! It takes an unbiased approach, so no matter the origin of the pathogens – be it human or pig – it can detect them quickly and accurately. Plus, it’s highly adaptable and can be easily modified to include new pathogens as they emerge. It’s an invaluable tool in the fight against infectious diseases.
Karius’ technology stands out from the crowd, providing a comprehensive view into the infectious organisms that could potentially harm patients, no matter their source. With the expansion into xenotransplantation diagnostics, Karius’ platform has once again proven its versatility through data and AI. Sivan Bercovici, Karius’ Chief Technology Officer, commented, “This is yet another testament to our technology’s remarkable flexibility.”
ABOUT KARIUS
Karius, Inc. is revolutionizing the way infectious diseases are diagnosed and treated. By leveraging the power of genomics and AI, the Karius Test® provides rapid and non-invasive detection of more than 1,000 pathogens from a single blood draw.
With the goal of improving patient outcomes and reducing invasive diagnostic use, Karius is committed to transforming the diagnosis of infections in immunocompromised patients and tackling the challenge of the 800 infection-related deaths that occur daily in cancer patients across the US.
About eGenesis
eGenesis is revolutionizing the transplantation field with a groundbreaking approach to producing safe, effective and transplantable organs through their proprietary EGEN™ platform. This breakthrough technology eliminates viral risk and cross-species molecular incompatibilities, and has already shown impressive preclinical results. The company is actively developing programs for kidney, heart, liver and islet cell transplantation that could revolutionize the field of transplantation and save countless lives.