Artificial Lung Based on a Novel Microfluidic Technology

描述（由申请人提供）：肺移植仍然是许多疾病的最后治疗方法。然而，合适和可用的肺远远少于需要它们的人数，这使得许多患者在等待移植期间进一步恶化或死亡。此外，还有许多肺功能不全的患者，包括患有肺癌的患者，不符合肺移植的条件。空气和血液之间的直接气体交换将提供独立于受伤肺部的呼吸支持，并使肺部愈合和恢复。一种可以使用室内空气而不是压缩空气进行氧合，并且血液侧压降足够小的设备将大大简化和改善体外氧合。在增加了长期安全性和有效性的要求后，该装置将实现完全可植入人工肺的最终目标。Infoscitex已经组建了一个专家团队，进一步开发一系列血管气体交换设备的技术。这些设备使用可用的室内空气，与目前可用或正在开发的其他设备相比，可能会减少对抗凝方法的需求。本提案中详细的研究计划将为完成植入式人工肺技术的开发提供必要的基础，包括初步的动物试验。拟议的努力将产生必要的数据，以确保下一阶段设备开发和最终市场引入的资金和批准。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Lung transplants remain the final treatment for many conditions. However, appropriate and available lungs are far fewer than the number of people who need them, leaving many patients to further deterioriate or die while waiting for a transplant. Moreover, there are many patients with insufficient lung function, including those suffering from lung cancer, who are not eligible for a lung transplant. Direct gas exchange between air and blood would provide respiratory support independent of injured lungs and allow the lungs to heal and recover. A device that can oxygenate using room air, rather than compressed air, and has a sufficiently small blood side pressure drop would greatly simplify and improve extracorporeal oxygenation. With the added requirements of long-term safety and efficacy, such a device would realize the final goal of a fully implantable artificial lung. Infoscitex has assembled a team of experts to further develop the technology for a family of vascular gas exchange devices. These devices use available room air and will likely reduce the need for anticoagulation methods compared to other devices currently available or in development. The research program detailed in this proposal will provide the necessary foundation to complete development of the technology for the implantable artificial lung, including initial animal trials. The proposed effort will result in the data necessary to secure the funding and approval for the next stage of device development and eventual market introduction. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The development of an implantable artificial lung based on direct vascular gas exchange performed directly from room air and requiring low levels of anticoagulation is proposed. Our device utilizes a novel two-stage gas exchange system that oxygenates blood via a liquid-liquid interface. This interface, by eliminating the contact of blood to a membrane, reduces fouling of the gas exchange surface which is the limiting factor in other devices under development.