Tampa General Researchers Develop Innovative Device That Expands Access to Heart Transplants

Electric synchronization device earned a $500,000 grant to continue research.

 

Tampa, FL (July 24, 2024) – Tampa General Hospital (TGH) announced today the development of a new device that optimizes donor organs, making more donor hearts eligible for transplantation. Dr. Lucian Lozonschi, professor and director of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Transplantation at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, and Dr. Ruisheng Liu, professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, received $500,000 for two years from the Interdisciplinary Research Award at the University of South Florida. The project was one of just six awarded grants this year and the largest sum from the program that promotes innovative research.

 

“Our goal is to expand access to world-class care and save more lives,” said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital. “With innovative approaches to transplantation, we can extend the life of critical organs and improve patient outcomes. This grant will advance our research efforts, directly impacting the patients we serve.”

 

The Synchronization Modulation Electric Field (SMEF) device, developed by Dr. Wei Chen, Liu and Lozonschi can not only maintain the Na/K pump functions but also generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules. The pump molecules can effectively work in situations with a limited or lack of ATP supply, such as in hypoxia.

 

“The SMEF device has the potential to achieve optimal preservation and transport conditions by electrically inhibiting the ischemic damage in donor hearts and maintaining cellular functions, ultimately enhancing the success rates of heart transplantation,” said Lozonschi.

 

“Results obtained from earlier studies are expected to have high translational significance and could be readily applied to patients. However, due to the high technical demand for heart transplantation in our models, it will be impossible to perform this kind of surgery without strong support from a world-class cardiac surgeon such as Dr. Lozonschi,” said Liu. “We have a great opportunity to test this novel technique in a pre-clinical model. This is a typical example of synergistic collaboration between basic researchers and clinicians.”

 

There is a national shortage of donor organs to meet the needs of patients experiencing heart failure. Donor organs must be transplanted within just five hours, and they degrade in transit due to a lack of blood supply.

 

The SMEF device protects donor hearts in a way that lengthens the time available for transit from five hours to more than eight. This novel approach would directly address the shortage of available hearts for donation by extending the time donor hearts are available. The device also improves the organ’s function by protecting its cellular activity during transport.

 

“Drs. Lozonschi and Liu make an incredible team for this translational research project that is taking foundational bench science through the rigors of pre-clinical trials. This translational research represents an excellent example of the bench-to-bedside progress that can only be accomplished at academic health systems, such as ours,” said Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine.

 

Lockwood is also the executive vice president and chief academic officer of Tampa General Hospital.

 

Lozonschi and Liu were one of more than three dozen teams applying for the Interdisciplinary Research Award at the University of South Florida, with just $1.5 million in funding available to support the work. The team was one of just six to earn awards, and the highest award granted from the program.