University of Iowa researchers use electrochemical, biomedical engineering expertise to develop new health care technology

This story first appeared in Engineers Week 2026, an annual special section that showcases a variety of local engineering topics to celebrate all that engineers contribute to our world.

Hospitals use a lot of oxygen. During the COVID pandemic, the need for better ways of obtaining oxygen grew as hospitals were putting patients in any available room, which didn’t always have piped-in oxygen supplies.

University of Iowa professors and friends Drs. Suresh M.L. Raghavan and Syed Mubeen were talking in 2020 about this need. Through Mubeen’s research in the electrochemical engineering field, he saw that oxygen was a byproduct of some of the work that he did.

Raghavan, a professor of biomedical engineering who worked on medical devices for the heart and lungs, knew the challenges of what was currently available for lung patients — either carting around heavy oxygen canisters that needed to be refilled or using oxygen concentrators that were loud, only produced about 80 percent oxygen, and had low flow rates.

“We wanted to develop a device that would put ourselves in a place where the country would be better equipped if there was another pandemic or if this pandemic keeps on dragging out,” Raghavan said.

Raghavan and Mubeen took their idea of developing a portable oxygen concentrator using electrochemical methods to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which gave them a nearly $1 million grant to start developing the idea. After partnering with Austin McKee, one of Mubeen’s doctoral students, they were able to develop a small, portable demo version, and the team created a start-up company, Pranions.

“As we started working more on it, and as the pandemic started to wind down, we realized that what we are doing, the people who really needed it now are people at home,” Raghavan said.

Patients who are prescribed oxygen at home include people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary hypertension and interstitial lung disease, among others. Our lungs pull oxygen from the air, which has about 20 percent oxygen in it. People suffering from lung disease have a hard time pulling in all of the oxygen that their bodies need.

Supplemental oxygen in canisters provide 100 percent oxygen, so that even if a patient’s lungs are not working well, they’ll be able to get the oxygen they need. However, when cylinders get used up, someone needs to come refill or replace them, creating a logistics issue. They are also heavy and hard to carry around.

Around 30 years ago, the idea arose for an oxygen concentrator, which pulls oxygen from the air into a tank the patient can use.

“You can see the advantage. This means now that you can make your own oxygen, you don’t need to depend on some company to come and refill your cylinder,” Raghavan said.

The problem with the current technology for these oxygen concentrators is that they only provide about 80 percent oxygen, and the devices tend to be large and noisy.

Pranions is currently working on developing their prototype with the goal of solving the problems of the current models. The company recently received a Small Business Innovation Research grant through NIH for $2.55 million to continue their work.

The advantages of their method are numerous. First off, the electrochemical way of producing oxygen is silent, much like the difference between an electric car and a gas-powered one. The current models use compressors and valves that make hissing and switching sounds as they’re running, making it impossible to take them into quiet places like churches and movie theaters.

Another goal for the prototype is to make it portable — small enough to fit in a small bag or a backpack.

Lastly, current models have low flow output, don’t produce pure oxygen (making lungs work harder) and create dry air. The prototype will produce 100 percent oxygen, be able to produce higher flow rates (some patients need up to 10 liters per minute of oxygen), and will have pre-humidified air because it’s generated from a water source.

“It should be a lot more comfortable for our patients to use as well as nicer for them to be able to take out and about with them,” said McKee, who is now the principal investigator for Pranions.

Along the way, the Pranions team has benefitted from the expertise of colleagues at the UI, including important insights from the chief of pulmonology. The University’s Office of Innovation has provided seed funding and advice, and the University of Iowa Research Foundation helped them develop the idea and work on patent applications.

Finally, the Iowa Economic Development Authority brought in consultants and invested in them so they could start their company.

“These entities invested in us when we didn’t have much to show, all we had was the idea,” Raghavan said. “This was my first start-up, what do I know about starting a company? I’m a professor.”