CareDx Brings Together Leading Transplant Experts to Share Latest Advancements in the Field of Xenotransplantation

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CareDx, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDNA) – The Transplant Company™ focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of clinically differentiated, high-value healthcare solutions for transplant patients and caregivers – today announced that it will hold a virtual “Xenotransplantation Innovation Day” featuring a leading panel of transplant experts who will share the latest advancements in xenotransplantation after genetically modified pig kidneys and, separately, a pig heart were recently successfully transplanted, two medical firsts.

CareDx’s “Xenotransplantation Innovation Day” will be held on March 22, 2022 from 9:00am to 10:00am PDT / 12:00noon to 1:00pm EDT. The presentations and panel discussions will be held in a virtual format to enable a wide audience to learn from these experts.

The symposium will include an update from the University of Maryland School of Medicine on the world’s first successful living pig-to-human heart transplant, an update from NYU Langone Health on the world’s first transplant of a gene-edited pig kidney, as well as recent developments of clinical-grade, human-compatible organs, and cells from eGenesis and Miromatrix.

“As a leader at the forefront of driving innovation in transplantation, CareDx is honored to convene this stellar lineup of experts in transplantation, including our esteemed colleagues from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and NYU Langone Health, who each delivered the world’s first successful xenotransplants from genetically modified pigs,” said Reg Seeto, CEO and President of CareDx. “We also look forward to sharing early insights into how CareDx’s biomarker surveillance solutions were used by the University of Maryland Medical Center to monitor David Bennett Sr., the world’s first successful pig heart xenotransplantation who recently passed away but will always be remembered for his important contributions to science and bravery for participating in this procedure.”

“I look forward to presenting a review of the scientific advancements that enabled the world’s first successful living pig-to-human heart xenotransplant,” said Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin, Professor of Surgery and Scientific Director of the Program in Cardiac Xenotransplantation at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “I am deeply saddened by David Bennett Sr.’s death and admire his will to live and his commitment to helping future patients through his experience. His transplant will always be remembered as a medical breakthrough that provided valuable information to help the medical community make further advancements that may one day make xenotransplants a lifesaving option for patients.”

Topics and speakers include:

• Opening remarks by professional and patient society leaders. American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS), A. Osama Gaber, MD, President-Elect; National Kidney Foundation, Paul M. Palevsky, MD, President; The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT), Andreas Zuchermann, MD, President-Elect; and Transplant International Organization (TRIO), James Gleason, President and heart transplant recipient.
  
• Review of world’s first pig-to-human kidney transplants. Robert A. Montgomery, MD, DPhil, Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery and Director of the Transplant Institute, NYU Langone Health, and surgeon who performed the world’s first successful kidney xenotransplant.
  
• Review of the scientific advancements that led to the world’s first successful living pig-to-human heart xenotransplant and the use of CareDx surveillance solutions. Muhammad M. Mohiuddin, MD, Professor of Surgery and Scientific Director of the Program in Cardiac Xenotransplantation at the University of Maryland School of Medicine who co-led the world’s first successful living pig-to-human heart xenotransplant; and Reg Seeto, CEO and President of CareDx.
  
• Status of bioengineered livers and kidneys for transplant. Jeff Ross, CEO of Miromatrix, a biotechnology company working to eliminate the need for an organ transplant waiting list through the development of implantable engineered biological organs.
• Development of Human Compatible (HuCo) Organs and Cells with the EGEN Platform. Michael Curtis, President of Research and Development at eGenesis, a company committed to ending the global transplant shortage and transforming the treatment of organ failure.

Registration for the CareDx Xenotransplantation Innovation Day is available here.

“It is estimated that another person is added to the national organ transplant waiting list every 9 minutes, while 17 people die every day from the lack of available organs for transplant,”¹ added Reg Seeto, CareDx CEO and President. “CareDx is dedicated to the transplant community, which is why we’re convening experts and applying our expertise to this nascent field with the goal of maximizing outcomes and helping terminal patients who have nowhere else to turn.”

About CareDx – The Transplant Company
CareDx, Inc., headquartered in South San Francisco, California, is a leading precision medicine solutions company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of clinically differentiated, high-value healthcare solutions for transplant patients and caregivers. CareDx offers testing services, products, and digital healthcare solutions along the pre- and post-transplant patient journey and is the leading provider of genomics-based information for transplant patients. For more information, please visit: www.CareDx.com.

Forward Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements related to CareDx, Inc., including statements regarding the potential benefits and results that may be achieved with CareDx’s virtual “Xenotransplantation Innovation Day”. These forward-looking statements are based upon information that is currently available to CareDx and its current expectations, speak only as of the date hereof, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, including risks that CareDx does not realize the expected benefits of the virtual “Xenotransplantation Innovation Day”; general economic and market factors; and other risks discussed in CareDx’s filings with the SEC, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 filed by CareDx with the SEC on February 24, 2022, and other reports that CareDx has filed with the SEC. Any of these may cause CareDx’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied by CareDx’s forward-looking statements. CareDx expressly disclaims any obligation, except as required by law, or undertaking to update or revise any such forward-looking statements.

CONTACTS:
CareDx, Inc.
Sasha King
Chief Marketing Officer
415-287-2393
sking@caredx.com

Investor Relations
Ian Cooney
(415) 722-4563
investor@CareDx.com

References:

1. Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA). Available at https://www.organdonor.gov/learn/organ-donation-statistics/. Accessed online February 16, 2022.