Scientists Are Developing Artificial Blood That Could Save Lives In Emergencies

Scientists at the University of Maryland are developing ErythroMer, a freeze-dried artificial blood substitute made from hemoglobin encased in fat bubbles, designed to be shelf-stable for years and reconstituted with water in emergencies. With promising animal trial results and significant funding from the Department of Defense, the team aims to begin human testing within two years. NPR reports: 'The No. 1 cause of preventable death on the battlefield is hemorrhage still today,' says Col. Jeremy Pamplin, the project manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. 'That's a real problem for the military and for the civilian world.' [Dr. Allan Doctor, a scientist at the University of Maryland working to develop the artificial blood substitute] is optimistic his team may be on the brink of solving that problem with... ErythroMer. Doctor co-founded KaloCyte to develop the blood and serves on the board and as the firm's chief scientific officer.

'We've been able to successfully recapitulate all the functions of blood that are important for a resuscitation in a system that can be stored for years at ambient temperature and be used at the scene of an accident,' he says. Doctor's team has tested their artificial blood on hundreds of rabbits and so far it looks safe and effective. 'It would change the way that we could take care of people who are bleeding outside of hospitals,' Doctor says. 'It'd be transformative.'

While the results so far seem like cause for optimism, Doctor says he still needs to prove to the Food and Drug Administration that his artificial blood would be safe and effective for people. But he hopes to start testing it in humans within two years. A Japanese team is already testing a similar synthetic blood in people. 'I'm very hopeful,' Doctor says. While promising, some experts remain cautious, noting that past attempts at artificial blood ultimately proved unsafe. 'I think it's a reasonable approach,' says Tim Estep, a scientist at Chart Biotech Consulting who consults with companies developing artificial blood. 'But because this field has been so challenging, the proof will be in the clinical trials,' he adds. 'While I'm overall optimistic, placing a bet on any one technology right now is overall difficult.'

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