A mass-producible biomimetic artificial lung to help people with severe respiratory failure
Official title: Manufacturable Biomimetic Microfluidic Oxygenator for Safer, Simpler Treatment of Respiratory Failure
Funded at Biomembretics, INC. · NIH-11239378 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new, easier-to-manufacture microfluidic oxygenator is being developed to support adults with severe respiratory failure such as ARDS as an alternative to standard ECMO devices.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Biomembretics, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Scituate, United States) |
| Project start | September 17, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $2,899,006 |
| NIH project number | 4R42HL170864-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11239378 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (21+) with severe respiratory failure such as ARDS who are candidates for extracorporeal oxygenation when mechanical ventilation is insufficient would be the eventual target population.
✕Less likely to help
People with mild or moderate lung disease who do not need extracorporeal support, children, or those with contraindications to extracorporeal circuits are unlikely to benefit from this work directly.
What this research studies
If you have severe lung failure that mechanical ventilation cannot manage, this project aims to build a safer, simpler device that oxygenates blood outside the body. The team is scaling up a microfluidic oxygenator design that mimics natural blood flow and has shown promising safety and function in large-animal tests. The current work focuses on methods to manufacture the device at high volumes and lower cost so it could be widely available. If manufacturing and testing go well, this device could move toward human clinical testing and hospital use.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could offer a safer, simpler, and more widely available extracorporeal oxygenation option for adults with severe respiratory failure.
How similar studies have gone: Related microfluidic oxygenator designs have shown safety and functionality in large-animal studies, but human clinical data are still limited and the manufacturing approach is novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Biomembretics, INC.
Scituate, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Borenstein, Jeffrey T. — Biomembretics, INC.
- Study coordinator: Borenstein, Jeffrey T.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Using a simple breathing test to check lung function after kids’ acute respiratory failure
A study will test a child-friendly breathing method (oscillometry) to check how well lungs work after severe respiratory illness in kids.
-
Financial hardship in acute respiratory failure patients and their family caregivers
This grant studies how money worries affect patients with acute respiratory failure and their family caregivers, aiming to improve outcomes for both sides.
-
Imaging how belly fat affects lung collapse in severe breathing failure
A hospital-based study will use CT scans and AI tools to understand how truncal fat distribution changes lung collapse and treatment response in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure.
-
Understanding how to apply sepsis care guidelines in ICU patients with respiratory failure
A patient-friendly look at how hospitals can best use sepsis care bundles to save lives for people with breathing problems in the ICU.
-
Kindergarten readiness after early brain injury and ICU sedation
This study follows preschool-age children who had critical illness as babies or toddlers to see how early ICU sedation may relate to later school-readiness using kindergarten readiness scores.
-
Understanding which patients and hospital care pathways affect outcomes after ICU vs ward care for ARF and sepsis
A big study using hospital records to figure out which patients with acute respiratory failure and sepsis do best when admitted to ICUs versus general wards.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.