Researchers develop artifical lung that uses air
It may be as far as 10 years down the road before it’s tested on humans, but researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland have developed an artificial lung capable of using air—not pure oxygen as current man-made lungs require—to ventilate blood.
The device has reached efficiencies similar to that of a human lung, according to findings published in the July issue of Lab on a Chip. Made of silicone rubber, the artificial organ consists of vessels, capillaries and aveoli similar in size to those in a human lung. The advancement eliminates the need for pure oxygen, representing a significant step toward creating the first portable and implantable artificial lung, according to lead author Joseph Potkay, research assistant professor in electrical engineering and computer science.
The device prototype was built following the lung’s design, with vessels that branch out to a diameter less than one quarter the thickness of a human hair.
“Based on current device performance, we estimate that a unit that could be used in humans would be about 6 inches by 6 inches by 4 inches tall, or about the volume of a human lung,” Potkat said. "In addition, the device could be driven by the heart and would not require a mechanical pump.”
Current artificial lung systems require heavy oxygen tanks, limiting their portability, and due to inefficient oxygen exchange, they can only be used on patients at rest. Researchers tested the device using pig’s blood and found that oxygen exchange was three to five times better than current artificial lung systems.
Potkay is hopeful to implement clinical trials in humans within a decade and envisions the device could be used for patients with diseased lungs that need to heal, or possibly as an implant for patients awaiting a lung transplant.
The research was funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The device has reached efficiencies similar to that of a human lung, according to findings published in the July issue of Lab on a Chip. Made of silicone rubber, the artificial organ consists of vessels, capillaries and aveoli similar in size to those in a human lung. The advancement eliminates the need for pure oxygen, representing a significant step toward creating the first portable and implantable artificial lung, according to lead author Joseph Potkay, research assistant professor in electrical engineering and computer science.
The device prototype was built following the lung’s design, with vessels that branch out to a diameter less than one quarter the thickness of a human hair.
“Based on current device performance, we estimate that a unit that could be used in humans would be about 6 inches by 6 inches by 4 inches tall, or about the volume of a human lung,” Potkat said. "In addition, the device could be driven by the heart and would not require a mechanical pump.”
Current artificial lung systems require heavy oxygen tanks, limiting their portability, and due to inefficient oxygen exchange, they can only be used on patients at rest. Researchers tested the device using pig’s blood and found that oxygen exchange was three to five times better than current artificial lung systems.
Potkay is hopeful to implement clinical trials in humans within a decade and envisions the device could be used for patients with diseased lungs that need to heal, or possibly as an implant for patients awaiting a lung transplant.
The research was funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.