New Artificial Oxygen Carrier for Resuscitative Care
Abstract
Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) Topic Area: Pathogen-Inactivated Blood Products PRMRP Strategic Goal: Develop and test novel or engineered blood products that add physiological, logistical, and cost advantages over current products. Critical Problem to Be Addressed: Severe blood loss is the number one preventable cause of death on the battlefield as well as being a primary cause of civilian mortality in trauma cases. Stopping blood loss, resuscitating, and stabilizing casualties is of prime importance in casualty care. If a casualty has lost too much blood, then resuscitation is needed to prevent succumbing to shock and death. The best resuscitation fluid is low-titer (meaning low in antibodies that could cause complications) whole O-type blood that has been stored in the cold. Whole blood is best because it replaces the lost fluid, carries oxygen (with red blood cells acting as oxygen carriers), and is capable of clotting. Derivative products such as red blood cells, plasma, platelets, or mixtures can also be used but are less effective. It should be noted that resuscitation with products containing red blood cells are preferred because of their oxygen-carrying capacity, enabling oxygen to be delivered to the body to sustain life. Unfortunately, supplies of whole blood and related products are very limited because of storage and shipping requirements. This is only expected to become worse in future conflicts against peer or near-peer adversaries where evacuation is not possible or supply chains are slowed or cut off. Cold chain storage and supply is particularly problematic because of the energy-intensive resources needed to sustain the products that need it, otherwise they expire or never reach their destination, which is particularly problematic for something as critical as blood. Given this information, there is a clear capability gap that needs to be addressed to ensure a sustained supply of life-saving blood in severe environments. New technology is needed to develop blood or blood products that have improved stability to reduce the need for cold chain storage and mitigate problems with replenishment since the shelf life of blood is untenably short. Innovation: We are proposing to develop a novel shelf-stable oxygen carrier for fluid resuscitation of trauma casualties. Critically, our material is based on a newly discovered matrix-forming protein that is capable of stabilizing protein structure, increasing storage temperature and extending the shelf life of derivative products. We propose to apply this stabilization matrix technology to hemoglobin to create a shelf-stable, engineered blood product that can be used in fluid resuscitation. Our goals for the first phase of research are to match as close as possible the oxygen-carrying capabilities of hemoglobin, demonstrate chemical and temperature stability, and demonstrate that our material will not cause adverse biological reactions. Impacts: By developing a resuscitation fluid based on our materials as a highly stable oxygen-carrying component, medics in military, wilderness, and/or rural settings will be able to preserve life, limb, and organs in prolonged, austere environments where blood or related products simply would not be available due to expiration or inadequate storage. This product can help reduce logistic burdens associated with cold storage and the need for new materials as old ones expire. This innovation directly addresses inherent challenges to providing adequate medical care on the battlefield, particularly as resource limitations are expected to worsen in the future battlespace. Therefore, the technology proposed herein has the potential to set a new paradigm in casualty care or civilian trauma by greatly reducing the need for cold-stored blood or derivative products. Further research and development could see additional use-case scenarios for products derived from this proposed effort. This includes the use of ou
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 04, 2024
- Source ID
- HT94252310053
Entities
People
- Christi Parham
Organizations
- United States Army