MissionGO achieved another milestone in unmanned aircraft medical delivery this month. On May 5, a MissionGO Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) — better known as “a drone” — flew a human pancreas on a 10-mile circuit. In this test project, MissionGO worked with the organ procurement organization LifeSource, organ transplantation platform MediGO, and Minneapolis Mercy Hospital, which is part of the Allina Health system.
The purpose of the pancreas delivery was to demonstrate the speed, efficiency, and viability gains that are made possible using a UAS to deliver human organs in the Twin Cities area. During the flight, MediGO’s platform tracked the drone’s location. LifeSource personnel performed biopsies on the pancreas before and after the flight to assess potential viability threats from UAS transport. The team found no changes in the tissues from the preliminary biopsy to the post flight testing.
We wrote about MissionGO last December in another demonstration project to deliver human tissue and a research kidney in Las Vegas. We look forward to hearing more about MissionGO and other organizations in the organ transport industry.
