2024 Innovations
Innovation drives our mission to save and heal more lives through organ and tissue donation. Our investments in cutting-edge technologies and approaches are expanding what’s possible in transplantation across our region. Through new preservation techniques, strategic partnerships, enhanced digital education programs, and streamlined referral systems, we’re improving outcomes for recipients and creating new pathways to donation that will benefit our communities for years to come.
Advancing Liver Transplants with Innovation: The Power of NRP
In August 2024, Donor Alliance began training clinical staff on a game-changing technique to improve liver transplant success—Normothermic Regional Perfusion (NRP). While NRP has been successfully used in kidney transplants for some time, its application to liver transplants is a recent innovation.
The NRP liver pump, which helps maintain circulation and organ function even after circulatory death, will help Donor Alliance enhance the preservation and reconditioning of donated livers. This means better transplant outcomes, as it optimizes liver function before transplant surgery and increases the number of viable organs available for transplant. It also helps lower the risk of transplant failure.
This breakthrough technology is not just about improving outcomes in the region—it’s also part of a broader effort to increase organ donation and make more lifesaving transplants possible nationwide. Colorado’s adoption of NRP shows the organization’s commitment to leading the way in medical innovation and ensuring that more patients get the lifesaving organs they desperately need.
Expanding the Impact of Bone Marrow Transplants
Donor Alliance has teamed up with Ossium Health to expand the potential for lifesaving bone marrow transplants across the Rocky Mountain region. This exciting partnership means Donor Alliance can now recover bone marrow from organ and tissue donors, greatly increasing the donor pool beyond just living donors. By combining the power of organ, tissue, and bone marrow donation, Donor Alliance and Ossium Health are able to offer more patients the stem cell transplants they urgently need.
The availability of more bone marrow donations brings hope to people battling blood cancers and other blood disorders who might otherwise have limited donor options. Bone marrow transplants, or stem cell transplants, are critical for treating more than 75 diseases, including various types of leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood disorders. For many patients, especially those undergoing chemotherapy, these transplants are vital for restoring their health—but finding a compatible donor can be difficult, particularly for individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
With this collaboration, Donor Alliance and Ossium Health are opening up new opportunities for patients by improving the success rates of bone marrow transplants. It’s a game-changing opportunity, giving people a chance at life when they might not have had one before.
Donor Alliance Transplantation Science Program: Inspiring Future Advocates
In 2024, Donor Alliance enhanced its Transplantation Science Program, offering youth in grades six to twelve across Colorado and Wyoming a hands-on learning experience about the science behind organ and tissue donation. The updates aimed to make the program more inclusive, accessible, and engaging for all students, regardless of background, language, or learning style.
The curriculum launched digitally in 2024, allowing real-time updates and making content more accessible with features like text-to-speech, video subtitles, and Spanish translation. The program also rolled out various engagement methods, such as audio, visuals, and interactive activities, to cater to different learning styles. The updated program also provides a deeper understanding of the organ donation process, helping students become informed advocates and encouraging them to discuss donation with their families.
Through these updates, Donor Alliance is shaping the next generation of advocates for the cause, empowering students with the knowledge and inspiration to get the little heart on their license and registering to be organ and tissue donors.
Advancing Organ and Tissue Donation Through Electronic Referrals
In 2024, Donor Alliance saw a significant leap in electronic referrals, with more than 3,400 received. This represented more than 21% of all referrals, compared to 10% reported in 2023. This shift underscores the growing reliance on digital methods to streamline organ and tissue donation processes, making the life-saving journey faster and more efficient.
Four-hundred forty-two (442) of the referrals received electronically in 2024 led to donation, which included 102 organ and 340 tissue donors. This increase highlights the potential of electronic systems in facilitating timely and effective communication among healthcare professionals.
In 2024, Donor Alliance also made a breakthrough in expanding electronic referral sources with its first coroner’s office in Colorado. Donor Alliance rolled out electronic referrals with the Douglas County Coroner, receiving 49 electronic referrals—a step forward in building relationships with coroner offices to increase donation opportunities. This new collaboration led to 18 heroic donors, a powerful reminder that every referral has the potential to give the gift of life.
With the continued growth of electronic referrals, Donor Alliance is poised to save and heal even more lives in the years ahead, reinforcing the power of technology and collaboration in organ and tissue donation.