Reimaging Respiratory Support Through Ambulatory Artificial Lung Technology
In respiratory care, some of the most meaningful breakthroughs do not simply improve existing treatments – they redefine where life-sustaining care can be delivered. Advanced Respiratory Technologies (ART) , a pioneering spinout of Carnegie Mellon University, is developing a compact ambulatory artificial lung platform designed to help patients avoid invasive mechanical ventilation.
The ART system will provide respiratory support beyond the ICU by enabling patients to remain awake and mobile, while reducing the complexity, common staffing burden, and costs associated with conventional care. Rather than confining advanced respiratory support to an ICU bed with intense monitoring, ART is developing a therapy designed to get the patient moving and recovering.
➤Based In:
Pittsburgh, PA
➤Industry Vertical:
Medical Device
Founded by global leaders in extracorporeal life support and biomedical engineering, Advanced Respiratory Technologies brings together world-class expertise in artificial lung design, clinical transplantation, and medical innovation. Their combined decades of pioneering research, patented technologies, and clinical leadership drive the development of life-saving solutions for chronic respiratory disease.
Chief Scientific Officer, Founder
PhD, MS, BS
Chief Medical Officer, Founder
MD, MA, BSE
Chief Strategy Officer, Founder
PhD, MS, BSE
The Technology: Advancing the Future of Respiratory Care
Advanced Respiratory Technologies is developing a pulmonary assist system designed to keep patients in respiratory failure off a ventilator so they stay awake, mobile and out of a hospital ICU. The platform works alongside a patient’s own lungs, allowing them to heal.
The goal is to address acute respiratory failure in patients, particularly those suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), through a fundamentally different approach: respiratory support that prioritizes mobility, hemocompatibility, and sustained use outside of traditional critical care environments.
No Ventilator. No Sedation
Unlike traditional mechanical ventilation, which often requires intubation and sedation, ART’s approach is designed to support respiratory function while avoiding many of the complications associated with invasive ventilation. Mechanical ventilation and ECMO can be lifesaving interventions, but they are also associated with prolonged ICU stays, patient deterioration, increased resource utilization, and significant patient burden.
ART is engineering their platform to address these barriers by using an advanced oxygenation system to efficiently exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide while reducing blood-related complications common to existing devices.
ART combining innovations in oxygenator design, hemocompatibility, and system architecture to create a more effective respiratory support solution.
The potential impact extends beyond patient outcomes. In the United States alone, over 140,000 patients are admitted annually for severe COPD exacerbations requiring ICU-level care at extremely high cost. By reducing dependence on mechanical ventilation and ICU stays, ART’s technology has the potential to improve patient recovery, preserve long-term cognitive and physical function, and significantly reduce strain on critical care resources.
Building Commercial Readiness with LifeX
ART partnered with LifeX during a pivotal stage in the company’s growth trajectory. Prior to engaging with LifeX, the company had already established a strong technical and scientific foundation, securing more than $24 million in non-dilutive funding through organizations including the Department of Defense (DOD), DARPA, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The next challenge was no longer scientific; it was translational.
The company first engaged with the LifeX ecosystem through programs such as PitchCraft and the LifeX Startup Summit. At PitchCraft, the team shared its company story and commercialization strategy with investors, operators, and industry experts, gaining targeted feedback that helped sharpen its narrative and identify key areas for refinement. ART also participated in the LifeX Startup Summit, which supports founders as they move from breakthrough science toward commercialization.
These earlier touchpoints established the foundation for a deeper operational partnership through LifeX Connect and Accelerator as ART continued to mature.
A Strategic Match Through LifeX Connect
Fractional Executive Leader
As Advanced Respiratory Technologies commercialization priorities evolved, the company joined the LifeX Connect Program, a curated initiative that embeds experienced operators within high-potential healthcare startups to help bridge the gap between innovation and market adoption.
Through Connect, ART matched with David Gibel whose experience directly aligned with the company’s stage and commercialization needs. David, an experienced healthcare executive and startup operator with deep expertise in commercialization, business development, and growth strategy.
David has built his career on both sides of medtech: leadership roles at Boston Scientific, Guidant and Philips, and operating positions at venture-backed startups through multiple exits. David brought a pragmatic, operator-led perspective that complemented ART’s deep expertise in engineering, clinical science, and regulatory development.
❝ Working with David Gibel through the LifeX Connect program added a seasoned layer of support that helped align our team, sharpen our strategy, and accelerate execution through the accelerator, keeping us focused on what matters most to investors and how we translate our work into a clear, fundable path forward.❞
– David Skoog,
Founder, CSO | ART
David joined Advanced Respiratory Technologies (ART) as a strategic advisor and fractional business leader.
His mandate was investor readiness: identifying the value creating milestones, articulating the value proposition, defining the market opportunity, and sharpening the investor pitch. He worked with the founders to validate physician feedback and dig deep into clinical workflows, grounding the commercial story in how the technology will actually be used at the bedside.
The Accelerator: From Technical Validation to Commercial Readiness
As ART prepared for its next phase of commercialization, the company joined the Spring 2026 LifeX Accelerator with a clear goal: strengthen investor readiness and sharpen its fundraising story ahead of its first institutional financing round. The program gave ART a structured environment to refine its strategy while continuing to advance both technical and commercial priorities.
With David Gibel continuing in a fractional executive leadership capacity alongside the founding team. Rather than functioning solely as an advisor, his role helped bridge day-to-day execution with the broader demands of venture-scale growth.
Throughout the Accelerator, ART leveraged LifeX as a platform for coordinated execution. Through access to experienced operators, industry experts, investors, and targeted commercialization resources, the company gained opportunities to pressure-test assumptions, refine priorities, and strengthen key aspects of its growth strategy.
The result was a meaningful shift in clary and alignment, ART emerged with a more focused view of its initial market entry strategy, a stronger connection between engineering milestones and clinical value, and a more structured approach to investor engagement.
❝ The LifeX Accelerator program not only allows us to identify areas where we
– David Skoog,
need to improve our company and our positioning for investment, but also actively facilitates the closing
of these gaps!❞
Founder, CSO | ART
Sustained Momentum with Continued Support
Following completion of LifeX Accelerator, ART continues to advance its next stage of development, building toward clinical and commercial milestones while refining its fundraising efforts.
David Gibel continues to work with ART as a business leader and advisor, guiding the company’s fundraising strategy, priorities, and organizational growth as it advances towards first human use and next financing round.
His deepening role within the company reflects a core premise of the LifeX Connect program that an experienced operator embedded with a highly experienced technical team can help transition a company from an innovative concept to real world commercialization.
at the LifeX Startup Summit – Spring 2026
❝ Overall, the combination of the LifeX Accelerator and LifeX Connect Program has rapidly propelled our company forward – helping us refine our story, align on milestones, and prepare for investor fundraising in a much more structured way.❞
– David Skoog
Founder, CSO | ART
For companies like ART, the path from breakthrough technology to real-world adoption requires more than capital alone. Through integrated support across talent, strategy, and ecosystem connectivity, LifeX helps founders build the operational foundation needed to scale transformative healthcare innovations into the market.