A research team in the USA has developed a lipid-based lung surfactant to treat respiratory distress in premature babies, Respiratory Therapy reported.
Lung surfactants help premature babies breathe while their lung cells finish developing.
With further development, the synthetically produced formulation could provide a cheaper and more widely available alternative to Infasurf (calfactant), an animal-derived medication used to prevent and treat respiratory distress in premature babies, according to scientists quoted in the 25 March report.
In addition to offering a potential alternative to replace Infasurf for babies, researchers said the new synthetic surfactant could be used to treat adults with lung injuries as a result of diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), miner’s lung or emphysema.
“A synthetic surfactant could potentially have a longer shelf life, lower production costs, have less batch variability, and pose less risk of an immune response compared to animal-derived lung surfactants,” Suzanne Farver Lukjan PhD, a lecturer in chemistry at Troy University in Alabama who led the work, was quoted as saying.
“We hope our formulation will one day be used in hospitals.”
Although previous research had been undertaken into developing synthetic lung surfactants, some had been removed from the market and others had not been able to lower surface tension as well as animal-derived formulations, Respiratory Therapy wrote.
In the new study, the research team created candidate surfactants from synthetic lipids (fats) and peptides (short chains of amino acids) and then tested their surface-tension-lowering capabilities.
The aim of the research was to mimic the composition, lipid phase behaviour and biophysical function of Infasurf as closely as possible, the report said.
After tweaking a step in the sample preparation process, the researchers found some formulations that showed potential.
Although tests demonstrated that the chemical behaviour of the synthetic surfactants was distinct from that of Infasurf, the new surfactants were able to mimic the drug’s functionality in terms of lowering surface tension and seemed to achieve the optimal range in terms of peptide concentration, the report said.
As a next step, the research team said it planned to continue to refine and test the formulation to improve the combination of lipids and peptides. The surfactant would also need to undergo safety testing before it was available for clinical use.
The research was partially funded by Infasurf manufacturer ONY Biotech Inc.
