Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: SiMPore, UofR, RIT Collaborate to Improve Blood Dialysis Filters

Home > Press > SiMPore, UofR, RIT Collaborate to Improve Blood Dialysis Filters

Abstract:
SiMPore, Inc received a $225,000 grant to develop filters for improving blood dialysis for treatment of kidney disease. SiMPore UofR and RIT researchers will scale-up manufacturing of its filtration technology.

SiMPore, UofR, RIT Collaborate to Improve Blood Dialysis Filters

Rochester, NY | Posted on July 8th, 2015

Treatment of end-stage renal disease is a significant health burden in the US. The primary therapy is blood dialysis, a process that removes toxins from patients’ blood during sessions lasting three to four hours, typically three or four days per week, at hemodialysis clinics. However, trends are moving toward more frequent patient-managed and in-home treatments. Despite the recognized economic, health and quality-of-life benefits of more frequent hemodialysis treatments, adoption of home hemodialysis using present systems is limited by doctors’ and patients’ safety concerns. Simpler and safer hemodialysis therapies will require breakthroughs that reduce the size and complexity of home dialysis systems. The development of a small-scale, highly efficient dialysis system holds potential for increasing adoption of home dialysis and its related benefits for the 430,000 individuals affected by end-stage renal disease in the US.

The goal of the research project is to take important first-steps toward making a compact home dialysis system a reality. This new system will be enabled by SiMPore’s nanoporous silicon nitride membrane filters. These filters are 100-times thinner than typical polymer membrane filters used in present dialysis systems, giving SiMPore’s membranes greater permeability and efficiency versus standard filters. These performance advantages make possible the small and compact systems ideal for home dialysis therapy. The ultimate system is one that could be worn by patients throughout the day while at work or at home.

The research project will focus on the optimization of the release of large areas of silicon nanomembranes from the silicon wafer supports on which they are produced, thereby simultaneously increasing active membrane area and reducing production cost. Housings will be developed for these lift-off membranes to permit fluid flow at volumes appropriate for eventual human treatment needs.

Dr. James Roussie of SiMPore will serve as the Principal Investigator for the project. Rochester Institute of Technology Professor and SiMPore co-founder Dr. Thomas Gaborski’s laboratory will contribute to scale-up of the membrane release methods. University of Rochester Professor and SiMPore co-founder Dr. James McGrath’s laboratory will be responsible for bench-top testing of prototype dialysis devices. The research funding from NSF validates the unique relationship among the collaborators centered on the development and application of silicon nanomembrane technologies.

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About SiMPore, Inc.
Based near Rochester, New York, SiMPore is a nanotechnology company that designs and produces membranes and membrane-enabled products based on its silicon nanomembrane technologies.

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
James Roussie, Ph.D.
Phone: 585-944-3623

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