Overwhelming infection of the bloodstream, or sepsis, impacted more than 1,500 servicemembers in 2009 alone.
Overwhelming infection of the bloodstream, or sepsis, impacted more than 1,500 servicemembers in 2009 alone.
The goal of the Dialysis-Like Therapeutics (DLT) program is to develop a portable device that removes "dirty" blood from the body, separates harmful agents, and returns "clean" blood to the body in a manner similar to dialysis treatment of kidney failure. The resulting device could decrease the morbidity and mortality of sepsis, thereby saving thousands of lives and billions of dollars in the United States annually.
To do so, the DLT program seeks to develop multiple component technologies, integrate them into a portable device, and rigorously validate device effectiveness. Key technical areas and representative technical approaches include:
- Persistent interrogation of the entire blood volume via sensing technologies such as surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). This capability may enable early identification of bacteria, viruses, toxins and cytokines.
- High-flow fluid manipulation without the use of anticoagulants via novel biocompatible/biomimetic architectures and advanced surface functionalization chemistries.
- Continuous removal of pathogens, toxins, activated cells, exosomes and cytokines via a diverse suite of "label-free" technologies such as synthetic mannose binding lectins, custom aptamers, selective adsorption, acoustophoresis, dielectrophoresis and inertial separation.
- Closed-loop therapy with system feedback to monitor and redirect patient state based on conditional probability and reduced order techniques.
The integration and validation of these component technologies will focus on developing an innovative path to FDA investigational device exemption (IDE) before the completion of the program. From there, the device would be available for transition to military medical commands and clinical trials required for final regulatory approval.
Component development for DLT began in Fall, 2011. Integration of components into a DLT portable device is expected to begin in Fall, 2012.