Organ Assist Systems

The development of materials and bioreactors for biohybrid organ systems for replacement of i.e. liver or kidney, is part of research in the field Organ Assist systems. Hitherto such biohybrid organs have been large medical devices that can support damaged organs only extracorporally because of their size and necessary periphery. Another problem is the limited functionality of the cells in existing biohybrid organs. Functionality as well as the lifespan of these cells is to be improved by the development of improved tailor-made biomaterials as support membranes.

Another type of organ assist systems (apheresis) demand the development of biostabile materials for bloods detoxification. For this purpose particles and hollow fiber membranes with highly specific and selective adsorption are developed to remove toxic or pathogenic substances from patient’s blood.