What Bridge to Life Ltd. does

Bridge to Life Ltd. is a privately held medical technology company specializing in organ preservation and machine perfusion solutions for transplantation. The company's portfolio centers on two pillars: the gold-standard Belzer UW cold storage and MPS UW machine perfusion solutions (long-tenured consumables backed by exclusive rights from the University of Wisconsin) and the VitaSmart Hypothermic Oxygenated Perfusion (HOPE) System, acquired from Medica S.p.A. in December 2024 and FDA De Novo-cleared in January 2026 as the first cold machine perfusion device approved for liver transplantation in the United States. HOPE technology cools donor livers to 4–12°C and delivers oxygen-rich perfusion to reduce ischemia-reperfusion injury and restore mitochondrial function, with a regulatory label supporting both DBD and DCD donors and no maximum perfusion duration limit.

The company sells hardware systems, perfusion sets, cannulas, and consumable preservation solutions via a direct enterprise sales motion to transplant centers and organ procurement organizations (OPOs), supplemented by distributor relationships in Europe, the Middle East, and India. Bridge to Life is headquartered in Duluth, Georgia (with operational presence in Northbrook, Illinois and Columbia, South Carolina), employs 51–100 people, and is ISO 13485:2016 and MDSAP certified. Its clinical evidence base includes the 219-patient Bridge to HOPE pivotal trial across 15 U.S. centers (published in JAMA Surgery in May 2026), a multicenter FMN biomarker validation spanning 10 centers in 7 countries, and more than 5,000 liver perfusions performed globally with the VitaSmart system. The U.S. commercial launch initiated in Q1 2026 with Duke University Hospital as the first major reference center, supported by a newly strengthened executive team with public-company and Intuitive Surgical pedigrees.

Name

Bridge to Life Ltd.

Legal name

Bridge to Life Ltd.

Website

https://bridgetolife.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Bridge to Life Ltd. is a medical technology company that develops and commercializes organ preservation and hypothermic oxygenated perfusion (HOPE) solutions, serving transplant centers and organ procurement organizations globally with its VitaSmart system and Belzer UW consumables.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organ Preservation Medical Devices

NAICS

Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Refrigeration & Service Industry Machinery (3580)

akta.pro primary industry

Cold Chain Storage & Cryopreservation Services (LN2/Ultra-low) (HLAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Infusion Sets, Catheters & Pump Consumables (HLAHAIAH), Infusion Pumps (Ambulatory/Stationary) (HLAHAIAF)

Keywords

• Organ preservation solutions
• Hypothermic oxygenated perfusion
• Machine perfusion systems
• Transplant preservation devices
• Cold storage solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Northbrook

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. VitaSmart HOPE Perfusion System: Sales of the hypothermic oxygenated perfusion hardware system and associated perfusion sets to transplant centers. Commercial launch initiated in Q1 2026 following FDA De Novo clearance.
2. Belzer UW and MPS Preservation Solutions: Sales of preservation solutions including Belzer UW Cold Storage Solution and Belzer MPS UW Machine Perfusion Solution. FDA 510(k) cleared with expanded labeling for all abdominal organs.
3. EasiSlush Sodium Chloride Solution: Sales of EasiSlush solution for surgical slush preparation, expanded to open surgical procedures including cardiovascular, abdominal, and transplant surgeries.
4. Cannulas for Organ Perfusion: Sales of French-sized cannulas and tubing for organ perfusion procedures.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bridge to Life Ltd. manufactures and supplies a portfolio of organ preservation and perfusion solutions for transplantation, including the VitaSmart™ Hypothermic Oxygenated Perfusion (HOPE) System, Belzer UW® Cold Storage Solution, Belzer MPS® UW Machine Perfusion Solution, EasiSlush® Sodium Chloride Solution, and French-sized perfusion cannulas and tubing. The products are sold to transplant centers and organ procurement organizations (OPOs) globally to improve donor organ viability, support both static cold storage and active machine perfusion workflows, and enhance post-transplant patient outcomes.

Product overview

Bridge to Life Ltd. offers a comprehensive portfolio of organ preservation and perfusion solutions centered around three core offerings: the VitaSmart™ Hypothermic Oxygenated Perfusion System (a HOPE technology for liver preservation), Belzer UW® Cold Storage Solution (gold-standard static preservation), and Belzer MPS® UW Machine Perfusion Solution (for active perfusion procedures). The portfolio is complemented by EasiSlush® Sodium Chloride Solution for surgical applications and perfusion accessories including cannulas. The VitaSmart system represents the company's advanced perfusion technology platform, while the Belzer solutions provide foundational preservation capabilities, and together they serve transplant centers and organ procurement organizations globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VitaSmart: Hypothermic Oxygenated Perfusion (HOPE) System for organ preservation in liver transplantation
• Belzer UW
• Belzer MPS
• EasiSlush
• Bridge to HOPE

Products and services

• VitaSmart™ Hypothermic Oxygenated Perfusion System A hypothermic oxygenated perfusion (HOPE) system that cools donor livers to controlled hypothermic temperatures (4–12°C) while delivering oxygenated perfusate prior to transplantation. It is designed to improve organ utilization, preserve mitochondrial function, and reduce ischemia-reperfusion injury, and is FDA De Novo cleared for liver transplantation with no maximum perfusion duration limitation. It supports both DBD and DCD donors.
• Belzer UW® Cold Storage Solution Gold-standard cold storage solution for static preservation of donor organs, maintaining organ viability during transport and storage prior to transplantation. Held under exclusive rights from the University of Wisconsin.
• Belzer MPS® UW Machine Perfusion Solution Machine perfusion solution designed for use during hypothermic machine perfusion procedures to preserve donor organs, now FDA-cleared with expanded labeling covering all abdominal organs (liver, kidney, and pancreas).
• EasiSlush® Sodium Chloride Solution Sodium chloride solution for slush preparation in open surgical procedures including cardiovascular, abdominal, and transplant surgeries. FDA 510(k) cleared for expanded surgical indications.
• Cannulas for Organ Perfusion French-sized cannulas and tubing sold as accessories for organ perfusion procedures, part of the comprehensive portfolio of organ preservation accessories.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces early allograft dysfunction (EAD) from 37% to 20% (p=0.003) in Bridge to HOPE trial
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and major.

• NICE (UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Published draft guidance recommending routine use of liver preservation machines within NHS. Bridge to Life's VitaSmart System included among technologies under evaluation. Reflects growing recognition of machine perfusion as important component of transplant infrastructure.
• Duke University HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2026First major U.S. transplant center to implement FDA-cleared VitaSmart HOPE System. Successfully preserved donor liver from DCD donor following regulatory clearance. Represents flagship customer and reference site for U.S. commercial launch.
• University of Rochester Medical CentermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Major transplant center that initiated clinical HOPE program following FDA clearance. Dr. Roberto Hernandez-Alejandro serves as moderator for Bridge to Life symposium at ATC 2026.
• Methodist DallasmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Transplant center initiated clinical HOPE program. Featured first patient Linda Williams (72-year-old) who successfully received transplanted liver preserved with VitaSmart HOPE System.
• Life Connection of OhiomajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026First organ procurement organization (OPO) in U.S. to utilize VitaSmart HOPE System. Successfully facilitated transplantation of donor liver initially deemed unsuitable for transplant, demonstrating expanded organ utilization capability.
• University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation TrustmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 November 2024One of the largest transplantation centers in the UK providing comprehensive hepatology, liver surgery, and transplantation services. Site of 5,000th global liver perfusion milestone performed by Russell Bolton, Head of Liver Services.
• ULS CoimbracoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 October 2024Collaboration to improve liver preservation for patients awaiting transplantation. Partnership includes development of video case studies to raise awareness about innovative procedures at Unidade de Transplantação Hepática de Adultos. Represents milestone in academic-industry relationships in organ transplantation field. Coincided with 32nd anniversary of ULS Coimbra's liver transplant program.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• TransMedics Group: TransMedics (NASDAQ: TMDX) develops the Organ Care System, a normothermic machine perfusion platform for liver, heart, and lung transplantation. It is Bridge to Life's most direct competitor at U.S. liver transplant centers and represents the established normothermic incumbent that VitaSmart HOPE must displace or complement.
• OrganOx: OrganOx (UK-based, private) develops the metra normothermic liver and kidney perfusion system, deployed across major EU and U.S. academic centers. It competes head-to-head with VitaSmart HOPE in liver preservation and represents the principal normothermic HOPE alternative transplant surgeons evaluate.
• XVIVO Perfusion: XVIVO Perfusion AB (Nasdaq Stockholm: XVIVO) is a Swedish medtech focused on organ preservation and machine perfusion, particularly for lung transplantation (Steen solution, XPS, EVLP). It is a direct peer in the broader organ preservation/perfusion category and increasingly competes in adjacent abdominal organs.
• Paragonix Technologies: Paragonix develops FDA-cleared organ transport and preservation devices, including the LazerGuard and SherpaPak systems for heart and lung transport. As a complementary preservation-and-transport vendor, it competes for the same transplant-center procurement dollars and budget allocations as Bridge to Life.
• Organ Recovery Systems: Organ Recovery Systems (LifePort) markets the LifePort kidney perfusion platform and other hypothermic preservation products. It is a direct competitor in organ perfusion machine platforms and overlaps with Bridge to Life's HOPE technology position.

Broad incumbents

• Institut Georges Lopez (IGL): IGL is a French-headquartered supplier of static preservation solutions including IGL-1, competing directly against Belzer UW/MPS across multiple countries. As a broader incumbent in the preservation solutions market, it competes for the consumables that historically anchored Bridge to Life's revenue.
• Terumo Corporation: Terumo is a large Japanese medtech with broad perfusion, surgical, and transplantation-adjacent product portfolios (e.g., Terumo BCT for cell and therapeutic apheresis, Bypass/Terminal products). It is an incumbent in the broader medtech space that transplant centers procure from and could move into organ preservation more directly.

Others

• Medica S.p.A. Medica S.p.A. is the Italian medical device company that originally developed and commercialized the VitaSmart HOPE System prior to Bridge to Life's December 2024 acquisition. As the prior owner and licensed manufacturer of VitaSmart and a related preservation solutions portfolio, Medica is an ecosystem/former-vendor relationship rather than a current commercial competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BridgeToLifeLTD
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bridgetolifeltd
• Facebookfacebook.com/timeline

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bridge to Life Ltd.