Mucus-clearing surfaces for airway and eye devices
An Engineered Surface of Mucociliary Transport for Medical Devices
This project is building device surfaces that copy the body's mucus-moving hairs so airway tubes and eye prostheses stay clearer and need less cleaning.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Iowa NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Iowa City, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11307036 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will make tiny, hair-like cilia on device surfaces and align them so they can push mucus the way natural cilia do. They will test how sticky mucus is on these engineered surfaces and try to reduce that stickiness with surface coatings. Gentle sound-driven vibrations will be used to power mucus movement over the surfaces. The team will test the approach in lab models and in animal models (including pig models) before any human testing.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People who use mucus-contacting medical devices such as tracheostomy or airway tubes, ventilator-associated devices, or eye prostheses that frequently clog with mucus would be the most relevant candidates.
Not a fit: Patients without mucus-contacting implants or whose symptoms are caused by unrelated conditions (for example purely allergic or non-mucus eye problems) are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the technology could cut device blockages and infections, reduce cleaning and replacement needs, and lower care burden for device users.
How similar studies have performed: Laboratory work has shown artificial cilia and polymer surfaces can move mucus in model systems and some animal tests, but combining aligned cilia with acoustic actuation for real devices is largely new.
Where this research is happening
Iowa City, United States
- University of Iowa — Iowa City, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Xie, Yuliang — University of Iowa
- Study coordinator: Xie, Yuliang
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 below.