Landmark hydrogen study concludes
CCRG celebrated a significant milestone last month, when Dr Keibun Liu led the group’s final study into the use of hydrogen gas as a therapeutic strategy for treating acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We sat down with Dr Liu to discuss some of the challenges of the study and his hopes for improving treatment outcomes via the use of VV-ECMO.
Dr Liu celebrates the end of a complex three-year study into the use of hydrogen gas as a novel treatment for ARDS.
Congratulations Dr Liu. We understand this has been quite a long and difficult study?
Thank you. Yes, it has been a long study with many obstacles to overcome, but the most rewarding part has been in leading this incredible multidisciplinary team. I have gained a lot of confidence and this has been a career defining moment in many ways.
This study could only have been carried out at CCRG. Nowhere in the world comes close to the quality of CCRG’s facilities, or their expertise is managing studies and collaborations of this size and complexity.
Could you tell us a little more about the collaboration? Who has been involved?
This is a translation research project in collaboration with the Japanese ECMO industry. The aim is to uncover new or improve existing ARDS treatments as well as further the development and evolution of ECMO in the scientific context.
As well as colleagues from across Japan, I have been working with The University of Queensland, Monash University, Queensland University of Technology, and received industry support from Mera. The study also received invaluable support from The Common Good, an initiative of The Prince Charles Hospital.
What are the next steps to be able to translate the findings of your study?
With the preliminary phase completed, we now need to look for an efficient way to continuously administer hydrogen during ECMO for periods beyond 48 hours.
We will be focusing on analysing all samples collected during the preclinical studies, including the blood, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and tissue samples from the lungs and other organs, in collaboration with QLD Pathology, The University of Queensland, QML, and Monash University.
I really do believe that this treatment will become an important way to manage refractory severe ARDS requiring ECMO support in the future, but we have a little way to go yet.
I would like to express my sincere appreciation to John Fraser, Gianluigi Li Bassi, Jacky Suen and every team member from CCRG who contributed to the success of the project.
Read more about Dr Liu’s research here: