Artificial Pancreas Project - A Cure for Diabetes
Donation protected
Imagine that you or a family member have to come to the hospital after not feeling well for a few days. After a complete examination with some pinching and probing and a few lab tests and imaging studies, the physicians come back in the room and tell you that one of their organs is failing. Then they tell you that they may have to wait years for an organ to become available, and unfortunately, because this is a life-threatening situation, they may not make it until then.
Unfortunately, this devastating situation is an all too common problem for many patients and their families. Historically, the donor organ shortage has been a multi-factorial issue affecting millions of people worldwide and in fact, even in the United States alone, only one in four patients in waiting lists will receive a transplant.
To further complicate things, those lucky enough to receive a transplant still have to undergo a high-risk surgical procedure facing potential complications and transplanted organ rejection. Even in a best-case-scenario situation, patients still have to rely on anti-rejection medication with complex side effect profiles, oftentimes feeling like they traded one disease for another.
ECMedical LLC:
ECMedical is an early stage Pittsburgh-based biotech startup company focused on the design and development of artificial organs and next generation medical device technologies to address this and other medical conditions. Our mission is to become a recognized leader in the development, commercialization, and clinical application of artificial organ and tissue repair technologies.
A Cure for Diabetes:
The purpose of this campaign is to raise seed money to kick start our artificial pancreas initiative. All proceeds raised will go directly towards research and development of an artificial pancreas to help patients with diabetes and those in need of pancreatic transplantation.
ECMedical’s pancreatic organoids are made universally compatible via CRISPr-Cas9 genetic engineering technologies and their microscopic size allows for minimally invasive implantation in subcutaneous tissues. We are utilizing this same approach for the design and development of other glandular organs such as the liver and the thyroid gland
Progress:
ECMedical has been able to identify and partner with world experts on pancreatic organoid development at the University of Pittsburgh and the McGowan Institute for Regenerative medicine as well as industry leaders in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine to complete this project.
More recently, ECMedical was able to secure funding for this initiative through a Department of Defense Phase I SSTR grant. The purpose of Phase 1 activities is to conduct key preliminary studies and explore the technical merit and feasibility of our approach to pancreatic replacement.
However, our funds have not been released, and strict regulatory guidelines prevent us from utilizing those funds for purchasing necessary laboratory equipment for the completion of this project. The funds we request through this campaign are aimed specifically at bridging that gap and are necessary for the completion of Phase 1 of this project.
Breakdown:
Nucleofector machine: $2,055.00
Purpose: Genetic editing of cell lines
Orbital Shaker $800.00
Purpose: Biomaterial manufacture
Freezer $1,206.25
Purpose: Keeping reagents and supplies viable
Ependorf centrifuge $7,000.00
Purpose: Centrifugation of small volumes
Lyophilizer $6,000
Purpose: Freeze drying of biomaterials
3D Printer $3,000
Purpose: Prototyping
TOTAL $20,061.25
Unfortunately, this devastating situation is an all too common problem for many patients and their families. Historically, the donor organ shortage has been a multi-factorial issue affecting millions of people worldwide and in fact, even in the United States alone, only one in four patients in waiting lists will receive a transplant.
To further complicate things, those lucky enough to receive a transplant still have to undergo a high-risk surgical procedure facing potential complications and transplanted organ rejection. Even in a best-case-scenario situation, patients still have to rely on anti-rejection medication with complex side effect profiles, oftentimes feeling like they traded one disease for another.
ECMedical LLC:
ECMedical is an early stage Pittsburgh-based biotech startup company focused on the design and development of artificial organs and next generation medical device technologies to address this and other medical conditions. Our mission is to become a recognized leader in the development, commercialization, and clinical application of artificial organ and tissue repair technologies.
A Cure for Diabetes:
The purpose of this campaign is to raise seed money to kick start our artificial pancreas initiative. All proceeds raised will go directly towards research and development of an artificial pancreas to help patients with diabetes and those in need of pancreatic transplantation.
ECMedical’s pancreatic organoids are made universally compatible via CRISPr-Cas9 genetic engineering technologies and their microscopic size allows for minimally invasive implantation in subcutaneous tissues. We are utilizing this same approach for the design and development of other glandular organs such as the liver and the thyroid gland
Progress:
ECMedical has been able to identify and partner with world experts on pancreatic organoid development at the University of Pittsburgh and the McGowan Institute for Regenerative medicine as well as industry leaders in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine to complete this project.
More recently, ECMedical was able to secure funding for this initiative through a Department of Defense Phase I SSTR grant. The purpose of Phase 1 activities is to conduct key preliminary studies and explore the technical merit and feasibility of our approach to pancreatic replacement.
However, our funds have not been released, and strict regulatory guidelines prevent us from utilizing those funds for purchasing necessary laboratory equipment for the completion of this project. The funds we request through this campaign are aimed specifically at bridging that gap and are necessary for the completion of Phase 1 of this project.
Breakdown:
Nucleofector machine: $2,055.00
Purpose: Genetic editing of cell lines
Orbital Shaker $800.00
Purpose: Biomaterial manufacture
Freezer $1,206.25
Purpose: Keeping reagents and supplies viable
Ependorf centrifuge $7,000.00
Purpose: Centrifugation of small volumes
Lyophilizer $6,000
Purpose: Freeze drying of biomaterials
3D Printer $3,000
Purpose: Prototyping
TOTAL $20,061.25
Co-organizers (3)
Denver Faulk
Organizer
Irwin, PA
Kimberly Lamberti
Co-organizer
Ricardo Londono
Co-organizer