A startup building a better device to transport organs that are used in transplants won first place at the University of Chicago's undergrad startup competition.
OrganX Scientific was named the top startup at the 10th annual UChicago College New Venture Challenge. The company, led by third year UChicago student George Li and UChicago Medicine researcher Daniel Rodgers, is developing a system to better preserve organs as they're en route to be transplanted.
OrganX received a $60,000 investment for winning first place.
Li, who's majoring in biological chemistry, biological sciences and chemistry, said he went on his first organ procurement run last year and couldn't believe the medical team was using a simple picnic cooler to store the organ.
"When we first saw this it was shocking," Li told Chicago Inno. "Because the rest of medicine, especially transplantation, uses super advanced technology."
Li declined to go into specifics about the device OrganX is creating, citing trade secrets. But he said traditional ice coolers used in organ transportation can get too cold and risk organ damage. OrganX's device will optimize the environment for the organ during the entire transit process, he said.
OrganX has a functioning prototype and plans to seek FDA approval to bring the device to market, Li said. The startup is competing with firms like Paragonix Technologies, which has developed transport devices for hearts and kidneys, and TransMedics, a publicly traded firm that develops devices designed to maintain organs in a warm, functioning state outside of the body.
"The fact that there are only two players in this market shows just how emerging and nascent this market is, and why there’s such a big opportunity here," Li said.
Two startups tied for second place at the CNVC. Haylon Technologies, a startup working to prolong battery life, and StandOut Search, a platform that matches high school students with internships at startups, each received $30,000.
OrganX joins past CNVC winners like healthy snack chip Quevos, low calorie ice cream startup Fronen, and exercise equipment startup Cubii, which was acquired for $100 million.
The CNVC is the undergraduate version of UChicago's flagship startup competition, the New Venture Challenge. That pitch competition, which involves graduate students, has helped launch well-known Chicago startups like Grubhub, Tovala, Simple Mills and Foxtrot.
