OrganOx was spun out from the University of Oxford in April 2008 and developed the world’s first normothermic liver perfusion device, the metra®, to extend preservation times and reduce organ discard.
Backed by OTIF Ventures and later global investors, the company grew into a market leader with >6,000 transplants supported worldwide, culminating in a landmark $1.5 billion acquisition by Terumo in 2025, one of the UK’s largest medtech exits.
Professors Constantin Coussious and Peter Friend
Founders
Leadership Profile
OrganOx spun out of Oxford University, founded by Professors Constantin Coussios (Oxford Institute of Biomedical Engineering) and Peter Friend (Oxford Transplant Surgeon). The pair combined deep technical expertise with direct clinical insight. OrganOx’s success stemmed from this combination of world-class biomedical engineering with deep clinical focus, a model for how interdisciplinary founding teams can translate complex science into practical, high-impact solutions.
