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TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED AT CINCINNATI CHILDREN'S AND LICENSED TO BTG TO SIGNIFICANTLY BENEFIT ADULTS
Through computerisation, the technology, which was developed at Cincinnati Children’s, automatically makes necessary adjustments during an ongoing hemodialysis session, reducing the need for medical supervision and the possibility of human error. The development means that many of the 250,000 American children and adults currently on dialysis will no longer have to go to a hospital or physician’s office to receive treatment, but can get it at home, at lower cost and with greater safety. “What sets this new device apart from all others before it is the level of accuracy attained, allowing for safe and effective treatment combined with the ease of use and portability,” says John J. Bissler, MD, a nephrologist at Cincinnati Children’s who led the development of the technology. “While this technology is critical for the intensive care unit patient, it also offers new therapeutic promise for families with children affected by renal failure. This technology represents a major leap forward in the area of home care, and an opportunity for these patients to lead more normal lives.” Dr. Bissler and his colleagues at Cincinnati Children’s developed the intelligent continuous venovenous hemofiltration system to accurately measure the rate of fluid extraction from the patient’s blood and automatically compensate for variations in parameters that can have an adverse affect on the treatment process. More specifically, the device regulates the transfer of fluids with greater accuracy and ensures that a predetermined amount of fluid is removed from the blood in a predetermined period of time. Other hemofiltration devices often require a greater frequency of system adjustments by hospital personnel who must monitor the fluid removed from the patient on a regular basis. This activity leads to a significant increase in nursing care and raises the cost of the therapy. The agreement involves the licensing of more than a dozen registered and pending patents throughout the world. BTG will work with licensees to develop and market the systems. “We are looking forward to working with Cincinnati Children's in commercialising this technology, which will have such an important influence on the care of many patients,” says Anthony V. Lando, BTG’s chief operating officer. “We believe that, through BTG, this exciting technology will be able to reach its full market potential,” adds Joseph D. Fondacaro, director of Intellectual Property and Venture Development at Cincinnati Children’s. More than 400,000 Americans suffer from end-stage renal disease, resulting in public and private spending of more than $18 billion each year. It is estimated that the cost for a single dialysis patient in Ohio approaches $65,000 a year.
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