Developing Medical Device Can Filter Out Pathogens

Researchers at Harvard University are developing a medical device designed to mimic the human spleen in order to fight a variety of deadly pathogens, including everything from E. coli to Ebola, according to The Washington Post.  So far, the device — called the biospleen — has proven effective at filtering at least 90 different ailments out of blood, including bacteria and fungi associated with foodborne illness.  It works by filtering infected blood using magnetic nanobeads coated with a human protein that has been genetically engineered to be optimized for fighting pathogens. The cleansed blood then gets returned back to the patient.  In rats infected with Staphylococcus aureus or E. coli, the device filtered 90 percent of the bacteria out of their blood, reduced pathogen and immune cell infiltration in multiple organs, and decreased inflammation levels.  In fact, 89 percent of rats treated with the device survived, while only 14 percent of rats survived who did not receive the treatment.  The biospleen could be a major turning point in the treatment of deadly diseases such as E. coli that can overwhelm the immune system.