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Synthetic Organs
INNOVATORS
Willem Kolff, inventor of the artificial heart, the Jarvik-7.
W. Kolff developed a rotating drum artificial kidney and later the Kolff-Brigham dialyzer (designed and constructed in Boston) in 1943; in 1952, the artificial kidney is used by the U.S. Army in the 11th field hospital in Korea under unit Chief P. Teschan.
The University of Minnesota developed the DeWall-Lillehei helix reservoir disposable bubble oxygenator, which makes cardiopulmonary bypass safe and reliable for other teams worldwide, and was used in a series of 250 patients in 1957. The University of Minnesota has researchers who are working on 3D printing lifelike artificial organ models even today.
The first real breakthrough in artificial organ design came in 1982, with the Jarvik-7, the first fully functioning artificial heart to be successfully implanted in a human. The medical researcher, Robert Jarvik, along with the inventor, Willem Kolff, are credited with the design of Jarvik-7.
Richard DeWall with bubble oxygenator
Dr. C. Walton Lillehei
Diagram of 3D bioprinted human liver tissue patches
Organovo, an early-stage medical laboratory and research company, designs and creates functional human tissues using proprietary three-dimensional bioprinting technology. Their goal is to build living human tissues that are proven to function like native tissues. Organovo was established in 2007 and the headquarter is in San Diego, California.
American Society for Artificial Internal Organs is an organization of individuals and groups that are interested in artificial internal organs and their development. It supports research into artificial internal organs and holds an annual meeting, which attracts industry, researchers and government officials. ASAIO is a world class society that has been in existence for over 64 years, and strives to “save lives one medical device at a time”.
SynCardia Systems, LLC, has a mission to "give end-stage heart failure patients the priceless gift of more time, more time with their families and friends, more time outside the hospital enjoying life, and more time to receive a heart transplant. The headquarter is in Tucson, Arizona, and SynCardia was founded in 2001. SynCardia is the sole manufacturer and provider of the a commercially approved total artificial heart which bridges to heart transplants. In clinical use for more than 35 years, the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart (TAH) is the most widely used and extensively studied total artificial heart in the world.
The true historians of ASAIO
BiVACOR is a privately held company, which was founded in 2008. Their staff includes world-class engineers, medical specialists, and business executives, who are working to advance ground-breaking technology. They have established a total artificial heart designed to take over the complete function of a patient’s failing heart. The BiVACOR world headquarter is located in Houston, Texas, and the international office is in Brisbane, Australia.
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