Spring 2007 Newsletter

Alumnus is Developing Artificial Lung Devices

Scott Morley (BSBEG ’04) is developing the next generation of artificial lung devices.

What Scott Morley likes best about his job is that he is working to provide a real-world solution to a very common health problem: lung disease. As a senior engineer at Alung Technologies and the project manager on the Hemolung device, Morley every day is working toward helping patients with lung illnesses by developing the next generation of artificial lung devices. “The aim of the Hemolung is to treat patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) by eliminating their need to be on a ventilator. Eighty percent of patients on ventilators have to be sedated and they can’t eat or talk. There is a very high rate of morbidity and mortality—it’s unfortunate. But with Hemolung, all of that is avoided,” Morley says. “One easily understood metaphor is to compare Hemolung with how dialysis is used for the kidneys.”

About the Hemolung

Imagine the following scenario: a patient with emphysema functions on a daily basis without the assistance of a lung-related device. However, the patient catches pneumonia, which exacerbates the emphysema, and the patient needs to be hospitalized because of too much carbon dioxide in the bloodstream. While in the hospital, the Hemolung device is utilized to remove the carbon dioxide independently from the lungs so that the lungs can rest and the patient recovers more quickly.

Hemolung is currently still in the development phase, and Morley hopes that formal approval will be received from the FDA for the device to begin clinical trials. Eventually, the plan is to release this product for sale to physicians and hospitals around the globe.

Working at Alung

Working for Alung was a logical next step for Morley. He began interning there in May 2003 and was hired full time after his graduation in April 2004. Alung is a spin-off company from Pitt: William Federspiel, W.K. Whiteford Professor, and Brack Hattler, professor of surgery, developed the Hemolung technology and founded the company.

Located on Pittsburgh’s South Side, Alung employs 10 professionals from various fields of engineering, medicine, law, and more. Morley feels his bioengineering background and training are ideal for a small startup. “In a small company like this, you literally do a little of everything,” he says. “It’s exciting like that. I received a very broad background that’s allowed me to interact with all engineering and business disciplines, to be able to talk everyone’s language. This has been very beneficial as the project manager on Hemolung, where I’m working with lab technicians, mechanical designers, business developers, other project managers … and I’m doing a little of all of that myself, from the research to managing coding and membrane development projects.” He can’t stress enough the need to be a team player and take a group approach. “My bioengineering background really allows me to be the one who can look at a component we’re designing and make assessments regarding one aspect—for example, blood compatibility—as well as see the big picture.”

Morley’s Advice

In a city like Pittsburgh where there are so many resources for start-up companies that are developing medical devices, Morley offers this advice to newcomers: “Be flexible. Get exposure to as many different kinds of environments as you can. In a start-up, being a specialist doesn’t help you much. I’ve had to dabble in hematology, mechanical design, and more, and having a broad-based background is very helpful in this kind of environment. Things are always changing quickly, and having the ability to deal with change and help others get through the change is very important in the environment I’m in.”

Every day presents a new challenge for Morley, but he claims the most exciting part of his job is getting to see the research he’s done translated into successful animal studies. He likes knowing that his work will someday help actual human patients.

In the meantime, he continues his research with Hemolung by day, and by night he is working part-time on his MBA at Pitt. He someday wants to become involved in business development and product management for a biomedical company.

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