ITL signs manufacturing agreement with OrganOx

RNS Number : 6541S

Gooch & Housego PLC

13 March 2019

 

13 March 2019

RNS REACH

Gooch & Housego PLC

("Gooch & Housego" or the "Company")

ITL signs manufacturing agreement with OrganOx

Gooch & Housego PLC (AIM: GHH), the specialist manufacturer of optical components and systems, announces that its life science business ITL has been awarded a five-year contract from OrganOx Limited for the manufacture of metra, an innovative medical device that allows livers for transplant to be stored and transported at body temperature.

The metra system operates by supplying a donated liver with oxygenated blood, anti-clotting drugs and assorted nutrients whilst keeping the organ at a stable temperature (37°C). It has the potential to significantly reduce the number of livers that are discarded due to damage incurred by cold storage or a lack of oxygen.

OrganOx, which was founded in 2008 as a spin-out company from Oxford university, has already gained marketing approval for metra in Europe and is in late stage clinical trials in the US.

Tom Cole, managing director of ITL, said: "We are delighted to be working in partnership with OrganOx on this ground-breaking project. This agreement is yet another important milestone positioning metra as one of the most promising transplantation candidates in late-stage development. This collaboration marks the beginning of what I'm sure will be a very exciting journey for both ITL and OrganOx."

Craig Marshall, CEO of OrganOx, said: "This agreement is strategically important to OrganOx as we prepare to penetrate the US market. I have a manufacturing background and I know the importance of working with the best partners in the supply chain. ITL is a great fit with OrganOx given their track record of successfully bringing medical devices to the market coupled with UK HQ with a presence in the US and in China."

University Hospitals Birmingham is one of the European liver transplant units to have conducted clinical research into metra, which was featured last year in the BBC TV series Surgeons: At the Edge of Life.

Darius Mirza, professor of transplant surgery at University Hospitals Birmingham, said: "In the 30 years I've been involved with transplantation, there have been three or four events which have been game changers and I'm absolutely certain we are looking at a game changer that will change the way we practise organ storage and transplantation."

For further information contact: -
Mark Webster / Andrew Boteler	Gooch & Housego PLC	01460 256440
Mark Court / Sophie Wills / Catriona Flint	Buchanan	020 7466 5000
Patrick Robb / David Anderson	Investec Bank plc	020 7597 5970

Notes to editors

1.     Gooch & Housego is a photonics technology business headquartered in Ilminster, Somerset, UK with operations in the USA and Europe. A world leader in its field, the company researches, designs, engineers and manufactures advanced photonic systems, components and instrumentation for applications in the Aerospace & Defence, Industrial, Life Sciences and Scientific Research sectors. World leading design, development and manufacturing expertise is offered across a broad range of complementary technologies.

 

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