34 Lives

What 34 Lives does

34 Lives, PBC is a privately held Public Benefit Corporation headquartered at Purdue Research Park in West Lafayette, Indiana, founded in 2021 by Chris Jaynes and Kathleen St. Jean. The company operates a centralized Assessment and Repair Center (launched April 2024) that delivers Normothermic Machine Perfusion (NMP) services to US Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) and transplant hospitals, with the goal of rescuing donor kidneys that would otherwise be discarded. The technology applies warm perfusion to keep kidneys alive and metabolically active outside the body, extends preservation beyond the standard ~20-hour cold-storage window, and produces functional assessment data that transplant surgeons use to make more informed acceptance decisions on marginal organs. The OPTIMAL research protocol (NCT06263023) and a multicenter Implementation Study currently span 10 OPOs and four major transplant centers (Indiana University Health, Mt. Sinai, University of Wisconsin, University of Miami/Jackson Memorial), with additional transplants performed at Medstar Georgetown.

The underlying platform combines purpose-built perfusion hardware, proprietary assessment protocols, and a CLIA-licensed laboratory operation. The company's chief scientific officer (Henri Leuvenink, University Medical Center Groningen) and international collaborators provide research depth, while a recently appointed chief medical officer signals clinical-evidence leadership. Outcomes reported include a 90% rescue rate on 104 declined donor kidneys assessed by NMP and significantly lower delayed graft function rates (26.3% vs 60.2% in controls) in the multicenter American Journal of Transplantation study; cumulative operational throughput reached 600 rescued and 125 transplanted kidneys as of May 2026.

Revenue is generated through professional-services contracts with healthcare institutions on a per-kidney basis, supplemented by a $44 million ARPA-H grant awarded in September 2024 under the five-year 'No Kidney Left Behind' initiative. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeted at the 56 US OPOs and the country's transplant centers, with awareness built through PR, the National Kidney Foundation partnership, and clinical publications. Early funding came from the NKF Innovation Fund (2022) and a Kidney X Award from HHS and CMS; a separate logistics agreement with ARC AeroSystems for up to 30 vertical-take-off aircraft signals planned expansion into dedicated organ transport.

Name

34 Lives

Legal name

34 Lives, PBC

Website

https://34lives.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

34 Lives is a Public Benefit Corporation operating a centralized Assessment and Repair Center that delivers Normothermic Machine Perfusion services to US OPOs and transplant hospitals, rescuing and assessing marginal donor kidneys that would otherwise be discarded.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organ Preservation Services

NAICS

Blood and Organ Banks (621991)

SIC

Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro primary industry

Outpatient Dialysis & Kidney Care Centers (HLAFABAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Renal Care Ancillaries (Anemia Management Devices, Phosphate Binder Support, Nutrition Monitoring) (HLAHAKAK)

Keywords

• Organ preservation services
• Kidney transplant technology
• Machine perfusion services
• Organ procurement support
• Transplant center services

Headquarters

HQ city

West Lafayette

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Kidney Preservation and Assessment Services: 34 Lives provides Normothermic Machine Perfusion services to OPOs and transplant centers for rescuing marginal kidneys that would otherwise be discarded. The company charges for its preservation and assessment services that enable previously unusable kidneys to be transplanted.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

34 Lives provides Normothermic Machine Perfusion (NMP) kidney preservation and assessment services to Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) and transplant hospitals through its centralized Assessment and Repair Center in West Lafayette, Indiana. The company receives marginal or declined donor kidneys, perfuses and functionally assesses them with warm NMP to extend safe preservation times beyond the standard 20-hour limit, and returns rescued kidneys with detailed performance data to support transplant decisions. Operations are executed under the OPTIMAL research protocol (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06263023) and are scaling through the ARPA-H-funded "No Kidney Left Behind" initiative.

Product overview

34 Lives is a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) that provides Normothermic Machine Perfusion services for kidney preservation and transplantation. Their core offering consists of the Kidney Assessment and Repair Center (launched April 2024 in West Lafayette, Indiana), which serves as the only provider of NMP services for kidneys to OPOs and transplant centers. The company works with OPOs and transplant surgeons to identify and rescue kidneys that would otherwise be unused, using warm Normothermic preservation to extend viability time and provide detailed assessment data. As of May 2026, the company has rescued over 600 kidneys. Their OPTIMAL research protocol documents their clinical methodology, while the 'No Kidney Left Behind' initiative represents a five-year, $44 million ARPA-H-funded program to transform kidney transplantation nationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• No Kidney Left Behind: A five-year initiative funded by ARPA-H to develop advanced kidney transplant technologies and dramatically increase donor kidney availability.

Products and services

• Normothermic Machine Perfusion (NMP) Kidney Preservation and Assessment Service A specialized medical preservation service that uses warm Normothermic Machine Perfusion (NMP) to keep donor kidneys alive and healthy outside the body, extending safe preservation time beyond the standard 20-hour limit and producing detailed functional assessment data for transplant decision-making. Offered to U.S. Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) and transplant hospitals as a centralized rescue service for marginal kidneys that would otherwise be discarded.
• Kidney Assessment and Repair Center (ARC) A centralized facility located in West Lafayette, Indiana that receives declined or marginal donor kidneys from OPOs, performs Normothermic Machine Perfusion and functional assessment, and returns viable kidneys with documented performance data to transplant hospitals. Serves as the physical delivery hub for 34 Lives' kidney rescue service.
• OPTIMAL Research Protocol (Central Preservation and Assessment Service to Optimize Donor Kidney Allocation) A registered clinical research protocol that defines 34 Lives' centralized donor kidney allocation methodology, documents rescued kidney outcomes, and serves as the evidence base supporting the company's rescue service. Available to OPOs and transplant hospitals participating in the Implementation Study.
• "No Kidney Left Behind" Initiative A five-year program funded by a $44M ARPA-H grant to scale 34 Lives' kidney rescue technologies and transplant-supporting services across the U.S., aimed at dramatically increasing donor kidney availability and improving transplant patient outcomes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% rescue rate for declined donor kidneys assessed using NMP at centralized perfusion center
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Kidney Foundation (NKF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNKF provided early seed funding to 34 Lives through their Innovation Fund in 2022 to accelerate development of the company's platform. NKF has continued advocacy support and publicly congratulated 34 Lives on securing the ARPA-H grant. The partnership is part of NKF's broader efforts to innovate kidney care and address the needs of patients with kidney disease.
• Purdue Research FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner34 Lives is located at Purdue Research Park in West Lafayette, Indiana. This partnership provides access to research infrastructure and connection to Purdue University's academic and research resources in organ preservation and transplantation.
• Indiana University HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating transplant hospital in 34 Lives' Implementation Study. Dr. Bill Goggins, Professor of Surgery at Indiana University School of Medicine, performed the first successful 34 Lives kidney transplant and is a key clinical partner.
• Mt. Sinai (NY)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating transplant hospital in the Implementation Study documenting 80 rescued kidneys with 10 OPOs and four transplant hospitals.
• University of WisconsincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating transplant hospital in the Implementation Study documenting 80 rescued kidneys with 10 OPOs and four transplant hospitals.
• University of Miami/Jackson Memorial HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating transplant hospital in the Implementation Study. Dr. Giselle Guerra, Medical Director of the Kidney Transplant Program at Miami Transplant Institute, is involved in the study.
• Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating OPO in the Implementation Study. CEO Julie Bergin expressed support for giving unused kidneys a 'second chance' and increasing the number of patients receiving transplants.
• Dr. Anna Krarup KellerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaborator from Aarhus University, Denmark, working with 34 Lives on research protocols.
• Professor Henri LeuveninkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaborator from University Medical Center Groningen, Netherlands. Listed as co-author on 34 Lives publication and part of the company's Chief Scientific Officer network.
• Dr. Cyril MoersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaborator from University Medical Center Groningen, Netherlands, working on research protocols with international experts.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Institut Georges Lopez (IGL Group): European manufacturer of organ preservation solutions and devices used in abdominal and thoracic transplant. Comparable as a supplier of kidney preservation chemistries and devices serving the same OPO / transplant-hospital ecosystem.
• Aferetica: Italian company commercializing organ perfusion and cleansing technology, including platforms applicable to kidney transplantation. Comparable as an emerging ex-vivo organ-treatment specialist intersecting with 34 Lives' machine perfusion approach.
• Bridge to Life: Supplies preservation solutions (UW Solution, Belzer MPS) used in static cold storage and machine perfusion for kidney, liver, and pancreas transplantation. Comparable as an enabling supplier in the same organ-preservation workflow that 34 Lives services with NMP.

Broad incumbents

• TransMedics: Public company (NASDAQ: TMDX) operating the Organ Care System for heart, lung, and liver transplantation. Comparable as an adjacent normothermic/ex-vivo organ perfusion provider serving transplant hospitals, but focused on thoracic and abdominal organs rather than kidneys.
• XVIVO Perfusion: Provides machine perfusion technology and solutions for lung and liver transplantation. Comparable as an established perfusion-based organ-preservation company addressing discard-rate challenges in solid-organ transplant, with broader thoracic/abdominal focus.
• OrganOx: Develops the metra normothermic machine perfusion device for liver transplantation. Comparable as an organ-preservation platform company using warm perfusion technology validated in multicenter studies, though focused on the liver indication.
• Paragonix Technologies: Develops portable hypothermic organ preservation and transport devices (e.g., Lungs, Heart, Kidney) used by OPOs and transplant centers. Comparable as a U.S.-focused organ-preservation technology provider operating in the same transplant-hospital procurement workflow.

Direct peers

• Organ Recovery Systems (LifePort): Develops the LifePort Kidney Transporter, the dominant hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) platform for marginal kidneys. Direct competitor to 34 Lives' Normothermic Machine Perfusion service for the same kidney preservation use case, though using a different temperature modality.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/34lives

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about 34 Lives