Harmar maker of artificial lungs moves to O'Hara

A Harmar manufacturer of artificial lungs has found a new home just 5 miles from its startup space at the Pittsburgh Applied Research Center (U-PARC), sold by the University of Pittsburgh in September.

Advanced Respiratory Technologies signed a five-year lease in O’Hara’s RIDC Park.

The company will take a previously vacant space at 242 Alpha Drive. It is about 9,400 square feet inside the Allegheny Manor II building.

Officials said the move is expected to enable company growth, with Chief Scientific Officer David J. Skoog saying he is “enthusiastic” about the relocation.

Founded in 2015, the company specializes in artificial lungs that are mobile, compact and battery-run.

Their lightweight Pulmonary Assist System is designed for the treatment of chronic lung diseases, which impacts 15 million people a year in the United States.

Skoog said the move will support company growth by providing space for a mix of offices and light manufacturing.

“It will enable us to expand our operational capabilities,” he said.

Employees began working in O’Hara on Oct. 1.

U-PARC, a 50-building 85-acre research hub, was sold for $5 million to A&W LLC.

No details about A&W and its plans for the property were released.

The property previously was the Gulf Oil Corp.’s petroleum research center.

RIDC Park, just down Route 28, was one of the first planned industrial parks in the country.

Timothy White, RIDC senior vice president, said the life science sector is a driving economic force in the Pittsburgh area.

Advanced Respiratory Technologies will be clustered among a roster of similar companies in the industrial park, which include Kalivir Immunotherapeutics, Thar Pharmaceuticals and Cook MyoSite.