Medical technology company TransMedics Group Inc (Nasdaq: TMDX) announced on Monday that it has entered into a strategic collaboration with automotive company Mercedes-Benz Group AG to establish Italy's first dedicated ground transportation network for organ transplantation.

A fleet of purpose-built Mercedes-Benz V-Class vehicles will be deployed across four National OCS Program hubs in Milan, Rome, Padua and Bari to support the use of TransMedics' Organ Care System (OCS) perfusion technology. The initiative aims to increase donor organ utilisation and expand access to transplantation.

The Italian network is expected to launch before the end of 2025, with each hub equipped with OCS Lung, Heart and Liver Systems and staffed by clinical perfusionists. Operations will be coordinated from TransMedics' National Command Center in Santa Giulia, Milan.

The partnership forms part of TransMedics' strategy to replicate its U.S. NOP model in Europe by integrating dedicated ground and air logistics with its OCS platform and clinical services, laying the groundwork for a multi-country transplant logistics network.