FIBRACTANT – A New Synthetic Lung Surfactant

OVERVIEW

A pulmonary surfactant is a complex mixture of phospholipids and proteins that creates a cohesive surface layer over the alveoli, which reduces surface tension and maintains alveolar stability. Surfactant deficiency is a recognized cause of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in preterm neonates. The replacement of natural surfactant therapy with purified surfactant from the lungs of nonhuman species is one of the most significant advances in neonatology. It has resulted in improved limits of the viability of preterm infants. However, available lung surfactants used in neonatal intensive care units for premature infants derived from animal lungs are not cost-effective and require an extremely cumbersome procedure for extraction. Georgetown University's researchers developed the "Fibractant," a synthetic surfactant made of silk fibroin (SF) protein and the lipid DPPC, dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine.

BACKGROUND

Surfactant replacement therapy (SRT) is pivotal in managing neonates with RDS because it improves survival and reduces respiratory morbidities. The surfactant is introduced into premature lungs to reduce surface tension and increase lung compliance and volume, allowing the expansion of lungs to oxygenate optimally. Georgetown's innovative technology, Fibractant, acts like currently available animal-derived lung surfactant, serving as a replacement for the natural surfactant deficient in premature infant lungs.

Benefit

• Potential use in the treatment of RDS, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), adult respiratory syndrome, HIV/AIDS-related lung diseases (PJP infection), tuberculosis, and severe acute respiratory distress syndrome.
• Rapid improvement of oxygenation and homogenous distribution of surfactant.
• Surfactant degradation can promote drug delivery effects and prolong the effect of the DPPC lipid component.

Market Application

• Easy to manufacture and economically affordable technology.
• It prevents the death of animals and avoids animal protein contamination on lung surfactant extraction.
• Superior efficacy compared to leading commercially available surfactants, reducing the surface tension of lungs in premature infants.

Publications

• US Patent Application No. 16/757,195