Gas exchange
We take every life-giving breath for granted until there's a problem. Haemair Ltd is pioneering an artificial lung to give patients a viable alternative to natural breathing and a life-saving lung transplant.

The human cost of lung-related illnesses is increasingly visible. UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s son was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. Three people in the UK lose their fight against CF every week. Professor Bill Johns, Managing Director of Haemair and a biochemical engineer, lost his son to the disease in 2002. His experience gave him an interest in lung function and respiration and the idea to apply the principles of ‘mass exchange’ to mimic the function of the lungs. He believes that it's 'no more complex than what chemical engineers design everyday, taking caffeine out of coffee, taking carbon dioxide out of blue gases.'

He says, 'There are many people who are healthy apart from their lungs aren't working. If we could make a mass exchanger to work like a lung which takes carbon dioxide from the blood and puts oxygen into the blood, then people could continue to lead healthy lives.'

External oxygenator
The artificial lung controls the carbon dioxide level in the blood in the same way that the natural lung would so that the body's natural mechanisms can adjust the blood circulation rate. Simple sensors attach to the skin to measure oxygen concentration and flow-rate in the blood.

The first stage of Haemair’s development programme is an external device. ‘Initially it would be a supplement,’ says Johns. ‘There would be one entrance point, which could in an emergency be applied by a paramedic. We take deoxygenated blood from there via one tube and return oxygenated blood to that point via another.’ People suffering with acute respiratory infection could also get oxygenated blood safely while their lungs recover.

Internal implant
Haemair has a unique collaboration with Professor Rhodri Williams and Dr Adrian Evans from the University of Wales at Swansea. Their expertise in blood flow and clotting is crucial to the project.

Haemair has exhibited the device at the Science Museum in London and is testing it with small amounts of blood circulating outside the body. The goal is a prosthetic lung for people who need transplants. These are careful steps to an artificial breath in the future.