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William Federspiel

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William Federspiel
Academic background
EducationBSc, 1978, MSc, 1980, PhD, Chemical Engineering, 1984, University of Rochester
Academic work
InstitutionsMcGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
University of Pittsburgh
Johns Hopkins University
Boston University

William Federspiel is an American bioengineer. He is the John A. Swanson Professor of Bioengineering in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh and Director of the Medical Devices Laboratory at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

Early life and education

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Federspiel enrolled at the University of Rochester for his entire post-secondary education. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree from the institution in 1978, his Master of Science in 1980, and his PhD in chemical engineering in 1983.[1]

Career

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Following his PhD, Federspiel joined the bioengineer field as a principal staff scientist at ABIOMED Inc. and a research scientist at the Biomechanics Institute.[2] He began his academic career on the faculty at Johns Hopkins University and Boston University before becoming an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) in 1995.[3] Upon joining Pitt, he immediately began working with cardiothoracic surgeon Brack Hattler on a device that could mimic gas exchange in the lungs. They subsequently co-founded Alung Technologies to produce the devices.[4] In 1999, Federspiel was elected to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows for "outstanding contribution toward the development of implantable artificial lungs and quantifying oxygen exchange in living and artificial systems."[5]

As their artificial lungs were being produced, Federspiel began exploring how to make them less cumbersome for the patients. His research team found that porous fibres coated with enzyme carbonic anhydrase could be broken down into CO2 by the fibres themselves, cutting down the rate at which blood needs to be fed to the artificial lung.[6][7] This eventually led to the development of the Hemolung Respiratory Assist System (RAS), a device that could potentially replace ECMO. The device simultaneously extracts carbon dioxide and administers oxygen using a cylinder design with specially coated fibres that allow the gas exchange.[8][9] Federspiel also began collaborating with colleague John Kellum to develop a device that could filter blood tainted with sepsis through a cartridge designed to remove the chemical molecules that orchestrate the body's innate immune system.[10] By 2012, ALung's clinical trials on the Hemolung found that the RAS improved patients respiratory statuses and reduced arterial pCO2 levels by 28% within 24 hours.[11]

The RAS was recognized in 2014 with the Gold Award in the Critical-Care and Emergency Medicine Category of the 17th Annual Medical Design Excellence Awards competition.[12] As its creator, Federspiel was also an honorable mention for the 2014 Start-Up Entrepreneur Carnegie Science Award.[13] By July 2014, the RAS was approved for use in 29 countries but remained under the United States' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review.[14] In 2017, the FDA approved of ALung's Investigational Device Exemption to conduct a clinical trial of the RAS for the treatment of adults with severe acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The test was called the VENT-AVOID Trial, as it was the first clinical trial to try extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal for treating patients with COPD exacerbations.[15] He was also elected to serve on the American Health Council's Education Board.[16]

Alongside the RAS, Federspiel research team also developed the Paracorporeal Ambulatory Assist Lung (PAL). He had collaborated with researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and Mississippi State University to create PAL, a light wearable device which would remove blood through a plastic tube inserted into a vein instead of using stationary machines.[17] This then led to the creation of the Pittsburgh Pediatric Ambulatory Lung (P-PAL) to assist children with lung failure by using oxygenation methods as a bridge to transplant or recovery.[18][19] Federspiel's efforts were recognized in 2019 as he was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.[20] He was also appointed the John A. Swanson Professor of Bioengineering in the Department of Bioengineering at Pitt[21] and received the 2019 Carnegie Science Award for Life Sciences.[22]

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Federspiel's RAS received Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA for use on COVID-19 patients.[23] By January 2021, the RAS had been used on 75 COVID-19 patients where there was a selective issue with hypercarbic respiratory acidosis. The RAS helped stabilize patients with severe hypercarbic respiratory acidosis while providing lung protective ventilation.[24] By April, the RAS had been used on a total of 97 COVID-19 patients. Federspiel also received Pitts' Marlin Mickle Outstanding Innovator Award for his "consistent dedication to achieving societal impact through commercial application of his research."[25]

References

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  1. ^ "William Federspiel". University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  2. ^ "William J. Federspiel, PhD". University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  3. ^ "University of Pittsburgh startup ALung joins LivaNova". Eurekalert. May 25, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  4. ^ "Pitt working on breathing machines". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. April 26, 2001. Retrieved January 30, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "WILLIAM FEDERSPIEL, PH.D." American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  6. ^ Bates, Daniel (January 29, 2007). "Undergraduate Research/Amber Loree". University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  7. ^ "Slimmer Artificial Lungs". Newswire. April 3, 2007. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  8. ^ Twedt, Steve (January 5, 2010). "A breath of fresh air". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 30, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Twedt, Steve (January 5, 2010). "Respiratory device may mean big things". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  10. ^ Fraser, Jeffery (February 21, 2011). "Spotlight on Research: Charting the Future Through Bioengineering". University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  11. ^ "ALung Technologies Presents Positive Clinical Trial Results of the Hemolung Respiratory Assist System". ALung. June 18, 2012. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  12. ^ "Hemolung® RAS Recipient of Gold Award at Medical Design Excellence Awards" (PDF). American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. June 12, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  13. ^ "BIOENGINEERING'S DR. STEVEN ABRAMOWITCH AND DR. WILLIAM FEDERSPIEL RECEIVE 2014 CARNEGIE SCIENCE AWARDS HONORABLE MENTIONS". University of Pittsburgh. January 30, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  14. ^ Smeltz, Adam (July 2, 2014). "FDA delays approval of South Side-made artificial Hemolung". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  15. ^ Morley, Scott (September 27, 2017). "TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED BY BIOENGINEERING'S DR. WILLIAM FEDERSPIEL SET FOR PIVOTAL CLINICAL TRIALS". University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  16. ^ "American Health Council Names Dr. William Federspiel, PhD, to Education Board" (Press release). Globe Newswire. September 1, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  17. ^ Erdley, Deb (March 20, 2013). "Pittsburgh researchers aim to create compact, portable artificial lung in 5 years; gets $3.4M grant". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  18. ^ "A Bridge To Breathing". University of Pittsburgh. February 6, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  19. ^ "Wearable Artificial Lung Designed to Help Sick Children Remain Mobile While Hospitalized". University of Pittsburgh. January 22, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  20. ^ "NATIONAL ACADEMY OF INVENTORS ELECTS WILLIAM J. FEDERSPIEL AS FELLOW". University of Pittsburgh. December 11, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  21. ^ "BIOENGINEERING PROFESSORS DAVIDSON, FEDERSPIEL, AND RUDER RECEIVE SWANSON SCHOOL PROFESSORSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP APPOINTMENTS". University of Pittsburgh. December 5, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  22. ^ "DR. WILLIAM FEDERSPIEL RECEIVES THE CARNEGIE SCIENCE AWARD FOR LIFE SCIENCES". University of Pittsburgh. March 19, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  23. ^ "Swanson School projects attack different COVID-19 issues". University of Pittsburgh Times. April 30, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  24. ^ "Hemolung® RAS Used to Treat More than 75 COVID-19 Patients". businesswire.com. Business Wire. January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  25. ^ "WILLIAM FEDERSPIEL RECEIVES THE 2020-2021 MARLIN MICKLE OUTSTANDING INNOVATOR AWARD". University of Pittsburgh. April 28, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
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William Federspiel publications indexed by Google Scholar

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