VITALBOX project awarded in Acelera@UC 2025 competition
"LIP researcher Luís Lopes contributed to the award-winning VITALBOX project for safer organ transport."
The VITALBOX - Smart box for the safe transport of organs project was selected as one of the winners of the Acelera@UC 2025 Proof of Concept competition, in the Innovation Projects by ULS-UC category. The initiative is promoted by the University of Coimbra in collaboration with the Local Health Unit of Coimbra.
The project involved the direct participation of Luís Lopes, a researcher at LIP, who contributed to the development and construction of the awarded prototype. VITALBOX aims to address one of the main challenges in organ transplantation: losses associated with outdated transport systems that still rely on ice and offer limited environmental control.
This new solution introduces an innovative approach by integrating active temperature control, gas atmosphere management, mechanical shock protection, and real-time monitoring through advanced sensing and IoT technologies. These features help mitigate risks such as freezing, overheating, acidosis, cellular damage, and microtrauma, increasing organ viability during transport.
A fully functional first-generation prototype (TRL 3) has already been developed, featuring full autoclave compatibility and validated in laboratory conditions. The LIP played an active role throughout the development of this prototype, from design and construction to performance testing, with key contributions from the Detector Laboratory and the Mechanical Workshop at the Coimbra node.
This recognition highlights the technological and clinical potential of VITALBOX and enables the team to continue advancing the solution toward real-world applications in organ transplantation logistics.