USPTO issued Patent US12594156B2 titled 'Prosthesis for the lung and the use thereof' to National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing. The patent covers a prosthetic device for treating pulmonary fibrosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), with 16 claims spanning the device structure (CPC: A61F 2/04) and treatment methods. The grant date is April 7, 2026.

For competitors in the medical device and pulmonary treatment space, this patent creates potential barriers to developing similar lung prosthetic devices without licensing. Inventors Nan Tang, Huijuan Wu, and Jiao Li retain associated IP rights. Companies developing competing pulmonary fibrosis treatments should conduct freedom-to-operate analyses to avoid infringement on the 16 granted claims.