Now, a safe tool for lung biopsy

US start-up with Indian co-founder develops hydrogel that can seal the hole in the lung while the doctor pulls out a needle, prevent organ collapse

While the idea seems simple, developing the material was not (File)

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A lung biopsy can be problematic at times and end up requiring hospitalisation. That’s because a needle is inserted into the lungs to collect a tissue sample during the procedure. This can cause the air to leak out of the punctured hole, leading to a condition called pneumothorax or collapsed lung. Patients may then need hospitalisation instead of just undergoing a day procedure and develop complications.

Now, a US-based start-up, PneumoNIX, has come up with a solution – a hydrogel that can close the puncture in the lung simultaneously as the doctor takes out the biopsy needle and seals it off, preventing an air leak. “This technology can prevent almost all cases of lung collapse during a biopsy,” says its co-founder Shashwat Gupta. “Over a million lung biopsies are done each year and pneumothorax can happen in as many as 45 per cent of the cases. A chest tube has to be inserted in the patient to re-inflate the lungs. For the patient, this raises his healthcare costs and the risk of complications. For the doctor, it means devoting a longer time to the patient as the condition needs to be monitored closely,” he adds. This technology has so far been tested on animal models and has been found to be effective 100 per cent of the time.

While the idea seems simple, developing the material was not. “The reason there aren’t any good sealants for the lungs is that it is one of the hardest organs to work with – it expands and contracts continuously and has a lot of fluids around. The lungs also face extreme pressure when a person coughs. Any sealant has to be sticky enough to not pop out during a coughing bout and elastic enough to move along with the lung tissue,” says Gupta.

The team used a base polymer called pleuronic, which is already in use in several medical procedures, and added various substances called excipients at the end of the polymer chain to modify its properties. Although they have worked on a sealant for the lungs at the moment, the base polymer can be modified and used for other organs such as the kidney where procedures typically lead to a lot of bleeding.The sealant developed by the team is also bio-degradable, so it dissolves on its own within 30 days.

How does it differ from various medical sealants available today? “Most of the sealants, including some that are used for the heart, are topical – they are applied on top of the organ to close an incision made by the surgeon. The sealant developed by us is actually going within the organ, so it has to move along with the organ. And this is essential when it comes to lung biopsy,” says Gupta.

There is an FDA-approved sealant for pneumothorax but it plugs the lung after the procedure, hence it is not very effective. “The air starts rushing out the moment the lung is poked; 75 per cent of the time pneumothorax happens during the procedure. So, closing it afterwards doesn’t always help,” he explains.

The only real competition that Pneumonix faces is from another start-up in Ireland but the latter does not have published data yet. “We have patent priority,” says Gupta, adding that the team would get the product approved in the US first and then bring it to India. Manufacturing the polymer is simple enough and can be done locally.

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The team, which has received a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation in the US among others, will now work on generating more data on the product. Gupta says if the data is good enough, a phase III trial in patients might not be needed for an FDA approval.

Anonna Dutt

Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country’s space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More