New Material Stops Bleeding in Seconds

A new study has found that simple biodegradable liquids can stop bleeding in wounded rodents within seconds, a development that could significantly improve critical care and lessen surgery time.

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, Cambridge, USA) and Hong Kong University (HKU) have found that when the liquid, composed of protein fragments (peptides), is applied to open wounds, the peptides self-assemble into a nanoscale protective barrier gel that seals the wound and halts bleeding. Once the injury heals, the nontoxic gel is broken down into amino acids that the surrounding cells can use as building blocks for tissue repair. The researchers applied the liquid to open wounds in hamsters and rats, testing different types of tissue: brain, liver, skin, spinal cord, and intestine.

The exact mechanism of the solution's action is still unknown, but the researchers believe the peptides interact with the extracellular matrix surrounding the cells. They are confident, however, that the material does not work by inducing blood clotting, since clotting generally takes at least 90 seconds to initiate, and the researchers found no evidence of platelet aggregation. The study was published in the October 10, 2006 on-line edition of the journal Nanomedicine.

"It is a completely new way to stop bleeding; whether it produces a physical barrier is unclear at this time,” said lead author Dr. Rutledge Ellis-Behnke, Ph.D., a research scientist in the MIT department of brain and cognitive sciences. "The time to perform an operation could potentially be reduced by up to 50%.”

In May 2006, the same researchers reported that a similar liquid was able to partially restore sight in hamsters that had had their visual tract severed. In that case, the self-assembling peptides served as an internal matrix on which brain cells could re-grow. While experimenting with the liquid during brain surgery, the researchers discovered that some of the peptides could also stop bleeding.



Related Links:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Hong Kong University