I-Corps: Polymer Lung Surfactants for Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a new method of treating Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS). This technology utilizes a new type of therapeutic agent, called ?polymer lung surfactants?. RDS is a life-threatening condition that occurs primarily in infants who are born prematurely. The cause of RDS is the lack of chemical compounds called lung surfactants in the infant?s lungs. Currently, the standard treatment for RDS involves injection of animal-derived lung surfactant compounds into the patient?s lung. However, this animal-derived treatment has major drawbacks: (1) the harvesting process carries the risk of pathogenic contamination; (2) these conventional lung surfactants (containing proteins susceptible to denaturation) require sophisticated delivery procedures that can only be practiced in locations where skilled healthcare professionals and advanced care facilities are available. Due to these factors, RDS remains a serious problem, particularly, in under-developed countries. These significant drawbacks of the current methods offers a potential opportunity for the new polymer lung surfactant technology developed here. This I-Corps project will develop a fully synthetic material (polymers) as a cheaper replacement for costly lipid-based formulations for treatment of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Lung surfactant plays a critical role in the lung?s ability to process air by lowering alveolar surface tension. For potential lung surfactant applications promising candidate materials have been identified that are capable of replicating the surface-tension-lowering properties of natural lung surfactants. The research will advance understanding of how certain polymers are able to produce extremely low air-water interfacial tensions under dynamic compression (similarly to the natural lung surfactant) and what molecular factors contribute to these behaviors.