Patients that are undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as a treatment for acute or chronic lung diseases need detailed observation of the kidney function, as they are at highest risk for acute kidney injury and massive volume overload. Lung-kidney crosstalk is a crucial aspect for the development of an individualized implantable lung and acute renal failure is a frequent complication of patients with acute and chronic lung injury, associated with high morbidity and mortality.

Project

Until now hemofiltration (renal function) and membrane oxygenation (lung function) are performed by separate devices which leads to high infection risks, thrombus formation at the foreign surfaces and many other sources of error caused by redundant cannulation and tubing. Hence, there is a great need for the development of combined pulmonary and renal support in one device.

In the course of the project a solution for simultaneous lung and kidney support will be developed and tested in silico, in vitro and in vivo. At first, ECMO patient needs will be identified from clinical data with special emphasis on fluid management and kidney function by our project partner at Hannover Medical School. Subsequently, state-of-the-art approaches in device development and manufacturing will be used to design a prototype for extensive in-vitro testing at the University of Twente. Lastly the developed prototype will be tested in vivo to proof its feasibility at Hannover Medical School. In parallel, a numerical framework describing the hemodynamics, gas and mass transfer within a “virtual patient” will be developed on the basis of clinical data to provide mechanistic insights into simultaneous pulmonary and renal support therapy by our partner at RWTH Aachen University.

The proposed project uses an innovative combination of clinical data analysis, in vitro and in silico based device design and development and animal experiments to provide solutions for a complication with huge medical, social, and economic impact. It further on considers lung-kidney crosstalk and offers new experimental and computational methods to further understand the underlying mechanisms and pave the way towards an implantable artificial lung.

The project was recently funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) as a joined project between the University of Twente, Hannover Medical School and RWTH Aachen University within the DFG Priority Program 2014 – Towards an Implantable Artificial Lung. Our group is looking for a PhD candidate to make this project become real together with our project partners from Germany and their PhD candidates.

Your task is to develop, produce, and test a novel medical device in our laboratory with designing and experimental skill and a good theoretical understanding. If you enjoy walking unconventional paths on the border between mechanical engineering and medicine in a multidisciplinary project team, you are at the right place.

• Master's degree in mechanical engineering, biomechanical engineering or similar.
• Some experience in industrial design and/or the development of medical devices.
• Experimental skill and the will to cooperate with multiple disciplines.
• You are a self-motivating person with good organizational skills. You are a enthusiastic, independent worker and you have a problem solving attitude.
• You are willing to contribute to teaching in the Mechanical Engineering program, to supervise BSc and MSc student graduation projects, and to contribute to grant proposal writing.
• You are fluent in English, both spoken and written (IELTS >= 6.5 or equivalent).
• You are willing to move to (the vicinity of) Enschede.

• As a PhD candidate at the University of Twente, you will be appointed on a fulltime position for 4 years, with a qualifier in the first year, within a stimulating scientific environment.
• Salary and conditions are in accordance with the collective labor agreement for Dutch universities (CAO-NU).
• You will receive a salary ranging from €2.395,- gross per month at the start to €3.061,- in the fourth year.
• Additional benefits include a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, a year-end bonus of 8.3 % and a solid pension scheme.

Chair of Engineering Organ Support Technologies (EOST)

The chair was founded in November 2019 and is imbedded in the Department of Biomechanical Engineering within the Faculty of Engineering Technology. The chair´s research concentrates on the development of artificial internal organs for terminally ill patients with organ failure of lungs, heart and/or kidneys with the intention to bridge these patients either to recovery or to transplantation or to support them for the rest of their lives providing as much quality of life as possible.