First meeting of the consortium promoting the innovative liquid-based ECMO system

29.01.2026

Consortium of the project. Image: IMDEA Nanociencia.

The project, funded by Caixa Health and led by IMDEA Nanociencia with Gregorio Marañón Hospital, marks the beginning of its collaborative phase.
The consortium will develop innovative ECMO technology for hospital oxygenation.

Madrid, 29th January, 2026. The consortium for the project ‘Liquid-walled circuits for anticoagulant-free Extra-corporeal Membrane Oxygenation’ held its first official meeting on 22 January to coordinate the research and development of an innovative liquid-based ECMO technology designed to reduce cell damage and complications associated with current extracorporeal membrane oxygenation systems. This initiative, funded by Caixa Health with €1 million and led by Prof. Thomas Hermans from the IMDEA Nanoscience Institute, brings together experts in systems chemistry, biomedical engineering and clinicians from the Gregorio Marañón Hospital Biomedical Research Foundation to establish scientific priorities and joint development timelines.

The traditional technique of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) temporarily takes over cardiopulmonary function in critically ill patients, but can cause bleeding and clots due to the interaction of blood flow with solid surfaces and mechanical pumps. The new ‘liquid walls’ approach replaces solid parts of the circuit with a soft magnetic fluid that transports blood with less mechanical stress, promoting safer environments for blood flow.

During this first meeting, the partners agreed on working strategies for the preclinical phase—including testing in animal models—and strengthened cooperation between basic research and clinical application.

More information:

https://caixaresearch.org/es/convocatoria-caixaresearch-investigacion-salud-2025-proyecto-ecmo-base-liquida

Contact:

Prof. Thomas Hermans
Systems Chemistry Laboratory
https://www.imdeananociencia.org/systems-chemistry-laboratory/This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Bluesky: @hermanslab.bsky.social

Oficina de Divulgación y Comunicación de IMDEA Nanociencia
divulgacion.nanociencia [at]imdea.org

Source: IMDEA Nanociencia.

Related information:

IMDEA Nanociencia news: "Innovative liquid-based ECMO system for hospital extracorporeal oxygenation"