|
Breathing
Water
Liquid
breathing was a dramatic high point in James Cameron’s blockbuster
sci-fi movie, The Abyss. Now,
a New Jersey based company called Seahorse Medical, Inc. plans to turn
that bit of science fiction
into a breakthrough medical treatment.
Seahorse Medical will partner with Temple University of
Philadelphia, PA to commercialize over twenty years of liquid
ventilation research conducted by Temple researchers Thomas Shaffer,
Ph.D. and Marla Wolfson, Ph.D. This
innovative technology may treat severe lung disease where other
conventional therapies fail. “Everyone
who is close to the research at Temple believes that the time for liquid
ventilation has arrived,” said Robert Koshinskie, President of
Seahorse Medical. “Our
goal is to offer life-saving therapy that can help an estimated 300,000
neonates, children and adults who die annually around the world from
severe lung disorders such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).” “We are all
excited about this new venture,” said Antonio Goncalves, Ph.D. and
Associate Vice Provost for Science and Technology at Temple.
“The relationship between the new company and Temple is an
ideal blend of talents and we are confident of its success.” The history
of liquid ventilation can be traced back to 1962 when researchers at
Duke University successfully ventilated mice in highly oxygenated salt
water. In 1967, researchers
at the University of Miami demonstrated that special chemicals called
fluorocarbons offered significant improvement over salt water.
Dr. Shaffer advanced the research further in 1974 with the
construction of a basic liquid ventilator. Dr. Shaffer,
whose research was referenced in the novel, The Abyss, said, “A lot
more work has been done since the 70’s.
Over the years we have built several research ventilators, each
offering significant improvement over the preceding designs.” The research
ventilators at Temple are creative mélange of personal computers, parts
from other medical devices and hand-made components.
These custom instruments permit researchers to monitor and
control ventilation, and to also collect data for advanced analyses. “When
you see the results of liquid ventilation as developed at Temple, you
immediately understand the potential benefits,” said Dr. Wolfson of
Temple. “The current
alternative for the treatment of ARDS is extracorporeal membrane
oxygenation (ECMO), a highly invasive and risky therapy that bypasses
the lung.” The ECMO procedure requires surgery at the patient’s groin to insert large tubes into a major artery and a major vein. Typical complications during ECMO include bleeding and loss of muscle tone near the incision. In rare cases, the patient may experience seizures, cardiac arrest, and renal failure.
|