COVID-19 causes acute respiratory distress by damaging alveolar epithelial and endothelial cells in the lungs and results in the development of acute respiratory failure. The aim of the project is to develop a non-invasive ultrasound stimulation device that can modulate the effects of GYY4137, angiotensin receptor antagonists and amlodipine on inflamed pulmonary vessels, thus treating acute respiratory distress and delaying the need for artificial lung ventilation. Our proposed development of an external ultrasound stimulation device that can modulate the effects of GYY4137, amlodipine, or angiotensin receptor antagonists during inflammation currently has no analogues in the world. A non-invasive ultrasound stimulation device will provide the opportunity to improve lung function without additional intervention and locally enhance the effects of medications, delay the need for invasive lung ventilation, and improve treatment outcomes. A model of vascular inflammation will be developed using immunostimulants. Vascular inflammation models will be used to investigate whether the inflammation changes the function and physiology of the vessels or alters drugs effects, and whether the drug effect can be enhanced by low-frequency ultrasound. After making sure that the effect of drugs in the inflamed vessel can also be enhanced by low-frequency ultrasound, a non-invasive ultrasound stimulation device will be modeled and tested in animal models of pulmonary hypertension and respiratory distress.
Project funding:
This research project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund according to the 2014–2020 Operational Programme for the European Union Funds’ Investments, under measure’s No. 13.1.1-LMT-K-718 activity “Research Projects Implemented by World-class Researcher Groups to develop R&D activities relevant to economic sectors, which could later be commercialized”. Funded as part of the European Union’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Project results:
The aim of the project is to develop a non-invasive ultrasound stimulation device that can modulate the effects of GYY4137, angiotensin receptor antagonists, and amlodipine on inflammatory lung vessels. Tasks: (1) To determine whether vascular functions differs during simulation of viral and bacterial inflammation and to develop a model of vascular inflammation; (2) To investigate the effects of GYY4137, angiotensin receptor antagonists, and amlodipine on human pulmonary vessels during viral and bacterial inflammation, and to determine whether the effects can be altered using a low-frequency ultrasound device; (3) Create the model of the device and investigate it in a model of pulmonary hypertension; (4) Complete a prototype of the device and test it.
Period of project implementation: 2021-11-03 - 2023-10-31
Project coordinator: Kaunas University of Technology
Project partners: Lithuanian University of Health Sciences
