Aachen researchers have devised a minimally-invasive medical kit said to exchange oxygen with carbon dioxide in the respiratory system's bloodstream.
HBOX Therapies, a spinoff from Germany's RTWH Aachen University, recently clinched a €2.3 million round of funding.
The deal was led by TechVision Fund, based in Aachen, Germany, with participation from High-Tech Gruenderfonds and angel investor Dr. Peter Borges.
The HBOX technology would deliver oxygen as a protective barrier for the lungs in patients suffering critical respiratory injuries.
Currently a mechanical ventilator is often used as the last resort of respiratory care, but during ventilation, the patient's blood pressure can fluctuate raising risks of further lung damage and pneumonia.
HBOX apparatus would be used while the patient was still awake and breathing spontaneously, and would run at a greater blood pressure than ventilators. The inventors mean for their device to address lung diseases earlier than is possible with invasive methods.
Armed with a €2.3 million runway, HBOX proposes to deliver a prototype as a path toward clinical trials. It will need to validate its approach to receive a CE certification for its device.
HBOX Therapies was co-founded by Dr. Peter Schlanstein, Dr. Matthias Menne and Niklas Steuer, and the team was recognised as champions in the Deep Tech Award programme for StageTwo last year.
Dr. Schlanstein commented: "Our process offers many advantages over existing methods. It ensures that physicians do not have to switch to invasive ventilation at all, or at a later time. This potentially reduces the patient’s length of stay, weaning time and risk of death."
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