PhysioLens: a novel technology to standardize and democratize respiratory research on lung tissue

由于肺是受新冠肺炎影响最大的器官，世界各地越来越多的科学家，无论是否具有肺病学专业知识，都在寻找方法来研究肺组织，使用一种高效、生物相关和成本效益高的方法。尽管这是一个巨大的工程挑战，但专门从事呼吸设备的加拿大公司SCIREQ正在迎接这一挑战。该公司正在制造一种名为PhysioLens的新技术，该技术目前处于开发的最后阶段，将使任何科学家都能够轻松地对分离的肺组织进行实验研究。SCIREQ目前正在与拉瓦尔大学教授、肺部生理学专家Ynuk Bossé博士团队合作：1-优化、标准化和自动化程序；2-进行验证研究以确认技术的有效性；3-开发新系统以增加PhysoLens的通用性和适用性。在实现商业化前的最终调整的同时，该项目还将扩展PhysioLens的功能，使其具有备受欢迎的功能，最终可能成为呼吸系统研究中的游戏规则改变者。这项新技术将提供一种前所未有的手段，以准确和可重复的方式研究肺组织，加快进展，并允许比较不同实验室获得的结果。短期内，对于任何寻求有效和可获得的方法来研究肺组织的科学家来说，物理透镜都是必不可少的。从长远来看，它可能会实现具有重大影响的突破，包括通过加快新冠肺炎的研究和药物发现，改善患者护理和拯救生命的潜力。此外，它还将促进一家加拿大公司的发展，加强学术和私营部门之间的联系，培训高素质的人员，使加拿大的肺部生理学家保持在各自领域的领先地位，并为加拿大从大流行中恢复经济做出贡献。

Since the lung is the organ most affected by COVID-19, an increasing number of scientists across the world, with or without specialized knowledge in pulmonology, are searching for means to study the lung tissue using an efficient, biologically-relevant and cost-effective approach. Although this represents a huge engineering challenge, SCIREQ, a Canadian company specialized in respiratory equipment, is rising to the challenge. It is fabricating a new technology, called the physioLens, that is now in the final stages of development and that will enable any scientist to readily undertake experimental studies on isolated lung tissue. SCIREQ is now working with the team of Dr Ynuk Bossé, professor at Laval University and experts in lung physiology, to: 1- optimize, standardize and automate the procedures; 2- undertake validation studies to confirm the usefulness of the technology; and 3- develop new systems to increase the physioLens' versatility and applicability.While enabling the final adjustments before commercialization, this project will also extend the physioLens' capabilities with highly sought-after features that can turn out to be real game changers in respiratory research. This new technology will offer an unprecedented means to study lung tissue in an accurate and reproducible fashion, expediting progress and allowing comparisons between results obtained in different laboratories.In the short term, the physioLens is essential for any scientist seeking a validated and accessible means to study lung tissue. In the long term, it may enable breakthroughs with significant impacts, including the potential to improve patients' care and save lives by accelerating research and drug discovery on COVID-19. Additionally, it will promote a Canadian company, strengthen the link between the academic and private sectors, train highly qualified personnel, keep Canadian lung physiologists at the leading-edge of their field, and contribute to Canada's economic recovery from the pandemic.