Rapid Clotting Gel Improves Emergency Bleeding Control

Uncontrolled hemorrhage remains a leading cause of preventable death in trauma and major surgery. Conventional clots can form too slowly and fail under mechanical stress, limiting hemostasis and impairing tissue repair. Hospitals need faster, tougher solutions that integrate with natural coagulation without adding toxicity risks. To help address this challenge, researchers have developed a rapid “click clotting” approach that produces mechanically robust clots for emergency bleeding control.

The technique, developed at McGill University (Montreal, Canada), is called “click clotting.” It links proteins on the surface of red blood cells (RBCs) through a fast, bio-safe chemical reaction to create a biocompatible clot. The reaction forms a solid gel in about five seconds and positions RBCs as central structural elements within the engineered material.

Because the reaction does not interfere with normal blood chemistry, the cell‑based gel, or “cytogel,” can be added to whole blood and embeds within the body’s fibrin clot. In comparative testing, the engineered clot was 13 times more resistant to fracturing and four times more adhesive than natural clots. Autologous clots can be prepared in approximately 20 minutes, and type‑matched allogeneic clots within about 10 minutes.

Efficacy and safety were evaluated in vitro and in rodent models. In a liver injury model, the cytogel supported effective healing and regeneration and outperformed the clinically used comparator tested in the study. Analysis showed minimal immune reactivity and no toxicity in major organs.

The findings, published online in Nature on April 29, 2026, establish a foundation for the design and application of the material while recognizing that further study is needed before clinical use. Contributors included the University of British Columbia, the Medical College of Wisconsin, the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Toronto, and the research institute Versiti. Potential applications cited include control of severe bleeding and use in people with clotting disorders.

“The technology enables both autologous clots (using the patient’s own blood) and allogeneic clots (using type-matched donor blood). Autologous clots can be prepared in approximately 20 minutes, while allogeneic clots can be prepared within about 10 minutes. Given typical clinical time constraints, this approach has strong potential for in‑patient emergency care, wound management and related settings,” said Jianyu Li, senior author and Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Canada Research Chair in Tissue Repair and Regeneration.

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