SBIR Phase I: A high-efficiency and compact blood filter for enhanced removal of toxins during hemodialysis

这项小企业创新研究（SBIR） I期项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是改善终末期肾病（ESRD）患者的预后，并通过一种新的血液过滤器创造重大价值。除了血液过滤器比现有设备去除更多毒素的能力之外，硅纳米孔膜（SNM）血液过滤器还将给ESRD患者带来额外的健康益处，因为它需要更少的血液和更少的血液接触时间。ESRD血液过滤器市场每年约为20亿美元。此外，SNM技术还将创造巨大的商业价值，产生社会影响，并在ESRD人口之外推动科学技术的发展。它可以用于广泛的应用，包括水过滤、人工肺和细胞治疗。该项目将开发一种具有SNM的新型血液过滤器，以增强ESRD患者血液透析期间的毒素去除。今天，由于血液透析过程中毒素清除不良，ESRD患者遭受许多严重的并发症。新的基于snm的血液过滤器将更有效地去除毒素，并显着改善患者的预后。本研究项目的目的是证明使用SNM构建紧凑型血液过滤器的可行性。SNM与目前用于血液过滤器的聚合物膜有着根本的不同。因此，SNM必须设计用于血液过滤器，并在临床使用前作为血液过滤器进行测试。开发下一代SNM和测试小规模SNM血液过滤器将确定SNM血液过滤器的可行性。在这个项目结束时，一种新的血液过滤器将被证明是可行的，下一阶段将包括创建全尺寸的血液过滤器进行测试。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is improving the outcomes for patients with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) and creating significant value with a new blood filter. In addition to the ability of the blood filter remove more toxins than current devices, the silicon nanopore membrane (SNM) blood filter will also confer additional health benefits on ESRD patients because it requires less blood and less overall blood contact time. The ESRD blood filter market is approximately $2 Billion dollars per year. In addition, the SNM technology will also create significant commercial value, have societal impact, and advance science and technology outside the ESRD population. It can be used in a wide array of applications, including water filtration, artificial lungs, and for cell therapies. The proposed project will develop a novel blood filter with SNM to enhance toxin removal during hemodialysis for patients with ESRD. Today, ESRD patients suffer from numerous serious complications due to poor clearance of toxins during hemodialysis. The new SNM-based blood filter will remove toxins more efficiently and significantly improve patient outcomes. The objective of this research project is to demonstrate the feasibility of building a compact blood filter using SNM. SNM are fundamentally different than the polymer membranes currently used in blood filters. Consequently, the SNM must be designed for use in blood filters and tested as blood filters before being used clinically. Developing the next-generation SNM and testing a small-scale SNM blood filter will establish feasibility of the SNM blood filter. At the conclusion of this project, a new blood filter will have been proved feasible and the next phase will consist of creating full-scale blood filters for testing.