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Consciously breathe in and out one time. This is exactly what you unconsciously do about 20,000 times a day to supply your body with oxygen. In some cases, however, various illnesses and diseases can interfere with the pulmonary gas exchange in the lungs and thus become a life-threatening problem. If medical treatment, drug therapy, and artificial respiration cannot help, artificial lungs can be used as an intensive care treatment.

The development of such artificial lungs into a realistic organ replacement is a dedicated research focus of Dr.-Ing. Jutta Arens, Professor and Chair of Engineering Organ Support Technologies at UTwente. Jutta works together with partners from the medical, natural, and engineering sciences inter alia as part of the German Research Foundation’s “Towards an Implantable Lung” priority program to address the diverse issues that arise from artificial lung systems in contact with blood. She combines engineering and medicine to the benefit of patients and contributes her knowledge on a national and international level to develop standards for testing and approving artificial organs in order to ensure patient safety. In her free time, she likes to take deep breaths while enjoying long-distance hikes.

Expertise

  • Medicine and Dentistry

    • Lung
    • Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation
    • Oxygenator
    • Patient
    • In Vitro
    • Gas Exchange
    • Pump
    • Heart

Organisations

Ancillary activities

  • German Federal Institute of Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM)Member of the Scientific Advisory Board
  • PerfusionMember of the Editorial Board of “Perfusion"
  • ASAIOMember of Board of Trustees of ASAIO
  • ISOMember of ISO/TC 150/SC 2/WG 4 – Extracorporeal Circuits
  • NENMember of NEN Standards Committee (NC) 301060 ‘Implants for surgery’
  • Transplant InternationalMember of the Editorial Board of "Transplant International"

Jutta holds the Chair of Engineering Organ Support Systems within the Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Technologies. Her research at UTwente will mainly focus on artificial organs such as Artificial Lungs (oxygenators), Heart Assist, and Kidney Replacement with strong emphasis on combining these therapies in highly integrated devices for safer use and easier mobilization of patients and increasing their long-term stability and blood compatibility. An additional focus is on the development of miniaturized artificial organs for our youngest patients such as an artificial placenta system for preterm born babies with immature lungs.

The last two years, before coming to University of Twente in November 2019, Jutta was the acting head of the Department of Cardiovascular Engineering, CVE, Institute of Applied Medical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University with the core competencies of the department being in the development of heart assist and lung assist devices and their preclinical testing including computer simulations and the development and design of special purpose in-vitro test setups. Within the CVE over the past decade Jutta build up the Group `Artificial Lung Technologies´, at the beginning mainly focusing on miniaturization concepts for oxygenators used for newborns and preterm infants. This resulted in research on a Heart-Lung Machine for neonates with congenital heart defects (her PhD project) and the artificial placenta system NeonatOx. Miniaturization and modularization concepts were investigated for ECMO systems for personalized treatment and to allow for the mobilization of ICU patients including the development of new production methods. An overarching goal has been the improvement of hemocompatibility of the assist devices in order to make them long-term stable. Therefore, the group worked on reliable CFD simulation concepts and flow visualization inside the oxygenators´ fiber bundle by PIV to be able to validate the flow simulations in detail and to better understand the flow distribution between the hollow fibers. Active mixing in the oxygenators´ fiber bundle, the simulation of the gas exchange, evaluate the modeling of thrombus growth in vitro, and the influence of pulsatile blood flow on the gas exchange capacity of oxygenators were research topics as well as the work on an alternative method for the connection of ECMO systems to patients. 

Jutta studied Mechanical Engineering at RWTH Aachen University with specialization in Plastics Technologie and Medical Engineering and performed her PhD at the above-mentioned Institute in Aachen.

Publications

Jump to: 2025 | 2024

2025

Quantifying the influence of combined lung and kidney support using a cardiovascular model and sensitivity analysis-informed parameter identification (2025)Computers in biology and medicine, 186. Article 109668 (E-pub ahead of print/First online). Thiel, J.-N., Costa, A. M., Wiegmann, B., Arens, J., Steinseifer, U. & Neidlin, M.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compbiomed.2025.109668

2024

Citrate‐Coated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Facilitate Endothelialization of Left Ventricular Assist Device Impeller for Improved Antithrombogenicity (2024)Advanced science. Article 2408976 (E-pub ahead of print/First online). Haritz, J. L., Pflaum, M., Güntner, H. J., Katsirntaki, K., Hegermann, J., Hehnen, F., Lommel, M., Kertzscher, U., Arens, J., Haverich, A., Ruhparwar, A. & Wiegmann, B.https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202408976Ex vivo validation of magnetically actuated intravascular untethered robots in a clinical setting (2024)Communications Engineering, 3. Article 68. Ligtenberg, L.-J. W., Rabou, N. C. A., Goulas, C., Duinmeijer, W., Halfwerk, F. R., Arens, J., Lomme, R., Magdanz, V., Klingner, A., Klein Rot, E. A. M., Nijland, C. H. E., Wasserberg, D., Liefers, H. R., Jonkheijm, P., Susarrey-Arce, A., Warlé, M. & Khalil, I. S. M.https://doi.org/10.1038/s44172-024-00215-2Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (2024)In Mechanical Circulatory and Respiratory Support (pp. 231-254). Elsevier. Arens, J., Brodie, D., Karagiannidis, C. & Borchardt, R.Mechanical Circulatory and Respiratory Support (2024)[Book/Report › Book editing]. Gregory, S. D., Stephens, A. F., Heinsar, S., Arens, J. & Fraser, J. F.Oxygenator design (2024)In Mechanical Circulatory and Respiratory Support (pp. 591-610). Elsevier. Arens, J., Borchardt, R. & Jansen, S. V.Preclinical evaluation (2024)In Mechanical Circulatory and Respiratory Support (pp. 771-812). Elsevier. Stephens, A. F., Prahl Wittberg, L., Jacobs, S., Roggenkamp, J., Arens, J. & Fresiello, L.The past, present, and future of mechanical circulatory and respiratory support (2024)In Mechanical Circulatory and Respiratory Support (pp. 883-900). Elsevier. Gregory, S. D., Stephens, A. F., Heinsar, S., Arens, J. & Fraser, J. F.The influence of membrane fiber arrangement on gas exchange in blood oxygenators: A combined numerical and experimental analysis (2024)Journal of membrane science, 710. Article 123147. Focke, J. M., Bonke, P. L., Gendron, N., Call, T., Steinseifer, U., Arens, J. & Neidlin, M.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2024.123147Three-dimensional heart modelling of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy for in situ patient-specific simulation to optimise septal myectomy (2024)Innovations: Technology and Techniques in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, 19(5), 532-540. Smits, K., Speekenbrink, R. G. H., Hekman, E. E. G., Koenrades, M. A., Heeringa, T., Arens, J. & Halfwerk, F. R.https://doi.org/10.1177/15569845241273538Ex-Vivo Human-Sized Organ Machine Perfusion: A Systematic Review on the Added Value of Medical Imaging for Organ Condition Assessment (2024)Transplant international, 37. Article 12827. van der Hoek, J. L., Krommendijk, M. E., Manohar, S., Arens, J. & Groot Jebbink, E.https://doi.org/10.3389/ti.2024.12827Ex-Vivo Human-Sized Organ Machine Perfusion: A Systematic Review on the Added Value of Medical Imaging for Organ Condition Assessment (2024)Transplant international, 37. Article 12827. Van Der Hoek, J. L., Krommendijk, M. E., Manohar, S., Arens, J. & Groot Jebbink, E.https://doi.org/10.3389/ti.2024.12827A Volume-Adjustable Artificial Womb for Extremely Preterm Infants (2024)Transplant international, 37. Article 12947. Heyer, J., Schubert, F., Seitz, A. L., Steinle, Y., Arens, J., Orlikowsky, T., Steinseifer, U., Schmitz-Rode, T., Jansen, S. V. & Schoberer, M.https://doi.org/10.3389/ti.2024.12947Assessing Realism Of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenator Simulators – Development And Application Of An Objective Fidelity Classification Framework (2024)The International journal of artificial organs, 47(7), 421-565. Halfwerk, F. R., Duinmeijer, W. & Arens, J.https://doi.org/10.1177/03913988241279540Development of a Novel Artificial Lung And Kidney Assist Device – From Fiber Specifications to Device Design (2024)The International journal of artificial organs, 47(7), 474-475. Martins Costa, A., Halfwerk, F., Wiegmann, B., Thiel, J.-N., Neidlin , M. & Arens, J.https://doi.org/10.1177/03913988241279540Simulation-Based Training With Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenator Simulators – A Training Needs Analysis (2024)The International journal of artificial organs, 47(7), 421-565. Halfwerk, F. R., Duinmeijer, W., Groenier, M. & Arens, J.https://doi.org/10.1177/03913988241279540The artificial placenta - Development of a lung and kidney assist device for criticallly ill preterm neonates (2024)The International journal of artificial organs, 47(7), 421-565. van Galen, D., Rochow, N., Haag, U., Fusch, C., Martins Costa, A., Halfwerk, F. & Arens, J.https://doi.org/10.1177/03913988241279540The artificial placenta - Development of a lung and kidney assist device for criticallly ill preterm neonates (2024)The International journal of artificial organs, 47(7), 421-565. van Galen, D., Rochow, N., Haag, U., Fusch, C., Martins Costa, A., Halfwerk, F. & Arens, J.https://doi.org/10.1177/03913988241279540Classifying simulators and simulations for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) - A review with a new framework on classifying fidelity (2024)In SESAM Annual Meeting 2024 Abstract Book (pp. 380-381). Halfwerk, F. R., Duinmeijer, W., Swol, J., Brio, J. R. d., Obreja, V. L., Puślecki, M. & Arens, J.https://eu.eventscloud.com/website/12346/home/To breathe or not to breathe: Transport phenomena in life and in colour! (Double oration) (2024)[Book/Report › Inaugural speech]. University of Twente. Arens, J. & Rohlfs, W.ECMOve: A Mobilization Device for Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Patients (2024)ASAIO Journal, 70(5), 377-386. van Galen, D. J. M., Meinders, Q., Halfwerk, F. R. & Arens, J.https://doi.org/10.1097/mat.0000000000002153TRACKing or TRUSTing transfusion prediction: Validation of Red blood cell transfusion prediction models for low transfusion rate cardiac surgery and high transfusion rate post-cardiotomy veno-arterial extracorporeal life support (2024)[Contribution to conference › Poster] 12th EuroELSO 2024. Haumann, R. G., Alp, R., Płonek, T. P., Niesten, E. D., Maaskant, J. M., Mariani, S., Wiegmann, B., Arens, J., van der Palen, J. & Halfwerk, F. R.Influence of utilizing hemodialysis membranes outside-in on solute clearance and filtration efficiency – One step towards a novel combined lung and kidney support device (2024)Journal of membrane science, 698. Article 122575. Martins Costa, A., Halfwerk, F. R., Thiel, J.-N., Wiegmann, B., Neidlin, M. & Arens, J.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2024.122575Towards a novel combined lung and kidney support device – effect of utilizing hemodialysis membranes outside-in on solute clearance and filtration efficiency in full blood (2024)Perfusion, 39(1_suppl), 202-202. Article 62. Martins Costa, A., Halfwerk, F. R., Wiegmann, B., Thiel, J.-N., Neidlin, M. & Arens, J.https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/02676591241239138Designing a Patient-Centred Educational Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Simulator (EduECMO) – A training needs analysis with international experts (2024)[Contribution to conference › Abstract] Dutch Society for Simulation in Healthcare (DSSH) annual conference 2024. Halfwerk, F. R., Duinmeijer, W., Arens, J. & Groenier, M.

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University of Twente

Horst Complex (building no. 20), room W116
De Horst 2
7522 LW Enschede
Netherlands

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