- 01Vitrafy, Versiti partner on platelet cryopreservation.
- 02USAISR study: 94.4% post-thaw platelet recovery; listing FY2027.
- 03Two free cryo-units to Versiti Milwaukee.
Vitrafy Life Sciences (ASX: VFY) has entered a partnership with United States (US) non-profit blood network Versiti Blood Health to advance development of its cryopreservation ecosystem for platelets.
The collaboration follows a Phase II in vitro platelet study conducted by the US Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR), which achieved 94.4% mean post-thaw platelet recovery using Vitrafy’s cryopreservation ecosystem.
Vitrafy will initially place two cryopreservation freezing units at Versiti’s Blood Research Institute facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with the units supplied without charge and generating no placement revenue.
The partnership will also support verification and validation work for Vitrafy’s planned US medical device listing, which it is targeting during the 2027 financial year.
Vitrafy already has agreements in place with Vitalant and Hoxworth Blood Center, although those relationships are focused on red blood cells rather than platelets.
No-Wash Platelet Program
Vitrafy and Versiti will each contribute resources to advance development of the company’s no-wash cryopreservation technology within Versiti’s platelet workflows.
The work extends the USAISR study completed earlier in 2026, giving Vitrafy a civilian blood-network setting in which to further develop its platelet-focused system.
“The Versiti partnership is the third major civilian blood network to come to us directly off the back of the USAISR platelets studies, and the first focused specifically on platelets,” chief executive officer Brent Owens said.
“Vitrafy’s aim is to help supply hospitals with high-quality cryopreserved platelets—overcoming the seven-day shelf life that constrains today's supply, and easing the platelet shortages that 33% of hospitals report facing in life-saving scenarios every day."
Ongoing US Device Work
Blood products supplied through the partnership will separately support verification and validation activities for Vitrafy’s cryopreservation freezer covering currently approved cryopreserved blood products such as plasma.
Vitrafy will fund certain verification and validation services undertaken by Versiti on its behalf as part of the US medical device listing process, while Versiti also intends to explore use of the cryopreservation ecosystem with other blood products including red blood cells.
Versiti operates 42 fixed collection centres and serves more than 400 hospitals across five Midwest states through fixed donor centres and mobile blood drives.
Use of Vitrafy’s ecosystem for cryopreserved platelets remains in development and subject to US regulatory requirements as the company works towards the targeted FY2027 medical device listing.
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