CORE Invests in Cutting-Edge Organ Preservation & Donation Technology
Pittsburgh, PA — June 18, 2025 —The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) has taken a bold step forward in advancing organ donation and transplantation by acquiring the OrganOx device — an innovative system that preserves donated livers in a warm, functioning state outside the body. This week, CORE also hosted 12 transplant surgeons from across the region for in-person training on the device at its Pittsburgh facility.
The OrganOx device mimics the body’s natural conditions, supplying donated livers with oxygen, blood, and nutrients to keep them viable for longer periods. This breakthrough allows transplant teams to better assess organ health, improve transplant outcomes, and increase the number of viable organs available for transplant. Surgeons from Allegheny General Hospital, Charleston Area Medical Center, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, UPMC Presbyterian, and the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System participated in the hands-on training hosted by CORE, ensuring teams across the region are prepared to deploy this technology to save and heal more lives.
“The OrganOx device is a game-changer,” said Laura Cwynar, Organ Recovery Manager at CORE. “By integrating this type of advanced technology into our process, we’re able to preserve more organs, assess viability with greater accuracy, and most importantly, honor more donor gifts by turning more opportunities
into successful transplants.”
The addition of the OrganOx device represents CORE’s commitment to leveraging innovation in support of its mission: saving and healing lives through organ, tissue, and cornea donation. With this new capability, CORE is proud to expand what’s possible in donation and transplantation across its service area.
About CORE
The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) is one of the more than 50 federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in the United States, serving more than five million people in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. CORE coordinates the recovery and matching of organs, tissues and corneas for transplant within our service region, and works tirelessly to create a culture of donation within the hospitals and communities we serve. CORE’s mission is to Save and Heal lives through donation, ultimately ending the deaths of those on the transplant waiting list, while maintaining integrity for the donation process, dignity for the donors, and compassion for their families. For more information, visit www.core.org or call 1-800-DONORS-7.
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