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Hemovent Receives Government Grant to Fast-Forward Development of Its Next-Gen Artificial Lung Technologies
[April 24, 2017]

Hemovent Receives Government Grant to Fast-Forward Development of Its Next-Gen Artificial Lung Technologies


Hemovent GmbH, an emerging medical device company, announced today that it has been awarded participation in a grant totaling $810,000 from the German government to fast-forward development of its novel and portable artificial lung technologies, designed for a wide range of applications from Extracorporeal CO2 Removal (ECCO2R) to ExtraCorporeal Life Support (ECLS).

These types of applications are referred to as Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), which means the establishment of an artificial external blood circuit with a portable pump and gas exchanger system in order to support the lung function only or even establish a full cardiopulmonary bypass. ECMO as a temporary "artificial lung" either provides respiratory support to patients whose lungs are so damaged that they cannot perform their function, or as a temporary "life support system" and takes over the heart function in case of an acute heart failure. Both solutions allow physicians time to address the underlying problem(s) that caused the failure.

"Hemovent's technology is positioned to disrupt a billion-dollar market, whose standard therapy at present is complex to use, costly to purchase, and not portable," said Christof Lenz, a co-founder and CEO of Hemovent. "Federal funding in Germany is granted to highly innovative technologies. Given that the funding process was so efficient, we believe it is a strong indicator of our high-value proposition.



"Our systems are designed for superior blood-handling and more consistently superior patient outcomes compared to standard ECMO," Lenz added. "Consequently, we expect that when Hemovent is available by mid-next-year, it will accelerate ECMO usage not only for life support applications (ECLS) but also as an effective therapy for respiratory failure indications including ECCO2R protocols.

"The recent Series C financing of $36 million announced by ALung Technologies to fund a pivotal trial of its artificial lung technology underscores the significant opportunities in the ECMO/ECLS sector," concluded Mr. Lenz.


"ECMO is an effective treatment for acute respiratory and circulatory failure, and our systems' portability will likely facilitate expanded use of ECMO/ECLS. Equally important, we believe our innovative Hemovent system will alleviate many device-related problems with standard ECMO/ECLS, including hemolysis, that manifest due to flow-pressure rate issues and blood-clotting as a result of stagnant flow and insufficient washout zones," said Oliver Marseille, Ph.D., co-founder and chief technology officer.

(Dr. Marseille was a co-founder of CircuLite® (HeartWare® International) prior to co-founding Hemovent-which is developing the world's smallest and first self-contained, fully portable ECMO system designed to support or replace heart and lung function in the event of cardiac and respiratory failure.)

Hemovent's Targeted Artificial Lung Indications: ECPR and ECCO2R

ECPR: Extracorporeal CardioPulmonary Resuscitation is the initiation of bypass during resuscitation of an arresting patient. By attaching an ECMO device to a person who has acutely undergone cardiovascular collapse, practitioners can maintain end-organ perfusion while assessing the potential for reversal of the offending pathology with the goal of improving long term survival and neurological outcomes.

ECCO2R: ExtraCorporeal Carbon Dioxide Removal facilitates early extubation and ambulation in exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Acute exacerbations of COPD requiring invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. ECCO2R may facilitate extubation and ambulation in these patients and consequently potentially improve outcomes.

Hemovent GmbH is an emerging medical device company that has developed the world's smallest and first self-contained fully portable artificial lungs for Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) / ExtraCorporeal Life Support (ECLS) applications designed to support or replace heart and lung function in the event of cardiac and/or respiratory failure.

CAUTION: The Hemovent ECMO/ ECLS System is not approved for sale.


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