Technology developed at the University of Pittsburgh and licensed by ALung enhances the performance of artificial lung devices, paving the way for the development of less invasive respiratory support systems.

Pittsburgh, PA (August 3, 2015) – ALung Technologies, Inc., the leading provider of low-flow extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal (ECCO₂R) technologies for treating patients with acute respiratory failure, today announced the publication of new data by University of Pittsburgh researchers on two groundbreaking technologies it has previously licensed from the University. The new technologies, which help enhance the performance of artificial lung devices, were developed by Dr. William Federspiel, Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh, and his team in the Medical Devices Laboratory of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Dr. Federspiel is also a co-founder of ALung Technologies.

Artificial lung devices are used to support patients with lung failure. They work by passing a patient’s blood over an artificial membrane which removes carbon dioxide and delivers oxygen to the blood, independently of the native lung. While today’s artificial lung technology is very good, a clinical need still exists for more efficient, minimally invasive devices. The new techniques developed by Dr. Federspiel use a combination of two biochemical approaches that work synergistically to more than double the rate of carbon dioxide removal across the artificial lung membrane. The work of Dr. Federspiel’s team was recently published in the journals Acta Biomaterialia and the Journal of Material Science: Materials in Medicine, designated in the latter as an “Editor’s Choice” paper.

ALung’s license agreement with the University Pittsburgh for this new technology includes two pending patent applications. “These novel technologies fit nicely within our broader intellectual property portfolio of methods for enhancing gas exchange,” said Peter DeComo, ALung Chairman and CEO. “The continued refinement of these techniques, as highlighted in the new publications, help pave the way for the future development of more effective artificial lung devices for the millions of patients with acute and chronic lung failure. We offer Dr. Federspiel and his team our congratulations on their most recent publications.”

ALung’s Hemolung Respiratory Assist System, a minimally invasive extracorporeal CO₂removal system for treating patients with acute respiratory failure, also incorporates technology licensed from the University of Pittsburgh.

About ALung Technologies

ALung Technologies, Inc. is a privately-held Pittsburgh-based developer and manufacturer of innovative lung assist devices. Founded in 1997 as a spin-out of the University of Pittsburgh, ALung has developed the Hemolung RAS as a dialysis-like alternative or supplement to mechanical ventilation. ALung is backed by individual investors and venture firms including Allos Ventures, Birchmere Ventures and West Capital Advisors, LLC.

For more information about ALung and the Hemolung RAS, visit www.alung.com.

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Source: ALung Technologies