A new device to help severe heart failure patients prepare for an artificial heart pump
Official title: Cell Directed Immunomodulation Therapy as a Bridge to Left Ventricular Device Implantation in Chronic Heart Failure Patients
Funded at Innovative Biotherapies, INC. · NIH-11078730 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is testing a special device to help very sick heart failure patients become strong enough for a life-saving artificial heart pump.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Innovative Biotherapies, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project start | June 1, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,513,922 |
| NIH project number | 5R44HL170779-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11078730 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This approach is for patients with very severe, chronic heart failure who are currently too sick to receive a life-saving artificial heart pump.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with less severe heart failure or those who are already eligible for an artificial heart pump would likely not be candidates for this specific treatment.
What this research studies
Chronic heart failure can be a very serious condition, often involving inflammation that makes the heart weaker. For patients with the most severe form, there aren't many good treatment options, especially when they need an artificial heart pump (LVAD) but are too sick to get one. This project is exploring a new device that works outside the body to help calm down this inflammation. By doing so, we hope to improve heart or kidney function, making it possible for these patients to safely receive an LVAD.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this device could offer a new way to stabilize very ill heart failure patients, potentially extending their lives and allowing them to receive a critical artificial heart pump.
How similar studies have gone: This is an innovative approach, and the current work aims to establish its safety and probable benefit in this patient population.
Where this research is happening
-
Innovative Biotherapies, INC.
Ann Arbor, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Johnston, Kimberly Anne — Innovative Biotherapies, INC.
- Study coordinator: Johnston, Kimberly Anne
Related research
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Optogenetic silence to reduce harmful heart rhythms via kidney nerves in chronic heart failure
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Stellate Gland Nrf2 Signaling and Heart–Nerve Interactions in Chronic Heart Failure
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Cell-directed Immunomodulation to Help with LVAD Surgery in Chronic Heart Failure
A patient-friendly approach tests an immunomodulation device to improve heart and kidney function in people with advanced heart failure who are awaiting LVAD implantation but currently ineligible.
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A doctor-scientist at Stanford is studying how the gut bacteria, especially Bifidobacterium, relate to heart failure with reduced ejection fraction to uncover new ways to prevent or treat the condition.
-
Mobile app and personalized text messages to help people manage chronic heart failure
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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.