Artificial liver project has local connection

Ph.D. holder is granddaughter

of Tony and

Harriet Eckstein

By GUY PRIEL

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Sunday was a day designed to celebrate mothers throughout the nation, but for the Eckstein family of New Ulm, it became a celebration of a different sort.

Julie Friend of Clinton, Iowa, the granddaughter of Tony and Harriet Eckstein, recently received a doctorate degree in chemical engineering, ending a seven-year process that will have a lasting impact.

As part of her graduate work, she was involved in a bio-artificial liver project, which will soon be scheduled for clinical trials at the University of Minnesota Hospital.

"This has been a 10-year project that I was fortunate to get involved with as part of my studies," Friend said. "I did some work related to the marketing and raising of venture capital, and helped get the device into clinical trials."

The bio-artificial liver makes use of actual liver cells from pigs, and can potentially be used to bridge the gap between failure of a human liver and the waiting period for a transplant, Friend said.

"The potential exists that at some point the project can evolve enough that it can be used as a replacement, but there is a lot to learn before the project can move forward in that direction," she said. "It has been an interesting experience."

Throughout the project, she has spent time alone in the lab. She also worked with advisors and doctors to learn how to get the device ready for clinical trials.

"Chemical engineering is a broad field that has begun making inroads into biology," Friend said. "It is a different field because it is more inter-disciplinarian."

When she started graduate school, she knew she wanted to study something along the lines of chemistry and mathematics because was interested in the bio-engineering field.

"We heard various presentations on different projects we could get involved with, and I thought the liver one sounded pretty interesting," she said. "It has definitely been an experience. I learned a lot about the business aspects as well."

There is a lot of engineering involved in a project of this type because of the various components involved in sizing material. She found it interesting how the doctors needed the engineering aspects to make sure the medical needs are met.

"I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would ever do something like this," Friend said. "The liver is challenging as far as organs go, so it has been an interesting project."

She began graduate school in the fall of 1993 with the idea that she would get her doctorate and teach in the engineering field. She will begin working with DuPont in Wilmington, Del. in the biomedical science and engineering field in July.

"I will miss the medical aspect of the field," she said. "But I am looking forward to doing something different. This gave me a good experience."

Minnesota is one of only two labs in the United States that is working on the bio-artificial liver project, she said.

She is the daughter of Jack and Beverly (Eckstein) Friend.