WHAT'S THE STUDY: University of Michigan researchers are developing a technology that will incorporate a nitric oxide (NO) generating system in catheters. Nitric oxide is naturally produced in our arteries and used by our bodies to suppress blood clotting and fight infections.
WHY IT MATTERS: The use of catheters can lead to both infections and blood clots, and nearly 20,000 patients die each year in the United States because of IV catheter infections. The team aims to greatly reduce the number of fatalities related to blood clots and infection using the NO generating system in catheters.
The new catheter system is based on a low-cost method of producing very pure nitric oxide gas via an electrochemical reaction. The method was pioneered by U-M chemists Mark Meyerhoff and Nicolai Lehnert in previous work, called "E_NOgen." This approach uses a copper-containing compound as the catalyst to make NO gas from nitrite.
HOW MUCH AND FOR HOW LONG: The National Institutes of Health awarded the team $2.1 million over four years, from February 2024 to January 2028.
WHO IS INVOLVED:
Nicolai Lehnert is a professor of chemistry and biophysics. His lab focuses on the biological role of nitric oxide, the development of electrocatalysts for the conversion of nitrite into other nitrogen compounds, and on ways to mediate nitrate, an environmental pollution.
Mark Meyerhoff, professor emeritus of chemistry, focuses on the synthesis, characterization and biomedical applications of polymeric materials that release/generate nitric oxide to prevent clotting and infection, in addition to other fields of study involving NO.
Alvaro Rojas-Pena is an associate research scientist in the section of transplantation surgery and the director of the Robert H. Bartlett Extracorporeal Life Support Laboratory. He leads translational research at the intersection of surgery, biomedical engineering and public health, focusing on cardiopulmonary pathophysiology, mechanical circulatory support and organ preservation technologies-with a particular emphasis on extending the viability and function of organs for transplantation.
