Development of a Novel Liver Dialysis Device

Unlike kidney dialysis machines, there is not an effective equivalent device for patients with liver disease, to replace liver detoxification functions. The aim of this project is to develop such a device which will be safe, effective, inexpensive and readily available to patients suffering from varying forms of liver disease. The device is based on a discovery made by our group recently. Albumin is a protein that is present in our blood stream and responsible for transport of waste products from other parts of our body to the liver for detoxification. We have discovered that the albumin in the blood of patients with liver disease is irreversibly damaged; meaning that it is not able to carry toxins therefore allowing them to build up in the body which aren?t removed by the liver. We have identified that currently available liver dialysis type devices fail to remove the toxins effectively because they do not remove the damaged albumin. In our proposal, our device is able to replace damaged albumin with healthy albumin hence improving toxin removal. We are hoping that successful completion of this project will lead to clinical trials after which the device will be available to patients in near future.

The incidence of liver disease is increasing worldwide and about 1 million patients die from liver failure each year. In liver failure, the accumulation of protein bound toxins and increased susceptibility to infection cause multi-organ failure and death. Apart from liver transplantation, there is no treatment known to prolong the life of these patients. A cost-effective and clinically efficacious liver support device is an unmet clinical need. We aim to develop and test a novel liver support device that will work similarly to a kidney dialysis machine. The concept of the novel device evolved at UCL and is based upon the discovery that albumin, a major molecule involved in the detoxification process, is reduced irreversibly in concentration and function and, that endotoxemia contributes to increased risk of infection. The proposed device incorporates albumin removal and replacement and, endotoxin removal. We plan to take the project through prototype development, animal testing and optimisation which will provide the basis of a first in man study. The background IP governing the device and the materials are already in place. Industrial research collaboration with clarity on IP is already in place to allow future development to market.