* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Bluesman James Montgomery Will Perform In Falmouth – CapeNews.net

    Blues Legend James Montgomery Ready to Ignite the Stage in Falmouth

    Mexican singer Pedro Fernández to make Ave Fénix tour stop in Stockton. Tickets, schedule – Yahoo

    Mexican Singer Pedro Fernández Brings the Ave Fénix Tour to Stockton – Don’t Miss It!

    Flutter Entertainment’s SWOT Analysis: Uncovering the Growth Potential Amid Challenges

    Dylan Efron Shares Sweet ‘DWTS’ Rehearsal Photos Featuring His Little Sister Olivia – yahoo.com

    Dylan Efron’s Heartwarming ‘DWTS’ Rehearsal Moments with Little Sister Olivia

    Diane Keaton, Oscar-Winning Star of ‘Annie Hall’ and ‘The Godfather,’ Dies at 79 – Yahoo

    Diane Keaton, Oscar-Winning Star of ‘Annie Hall’ and ‘The Godfather,’ Dies at 79 – Yahoo

    THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Shares First Look Teaser Trailer (And It’s Fangtastic) – Yahoo

    THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Shares First Look Teaser Trailer (And It’s Fangtastic) – Yahoo

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Tracking DNA and RNA Together To Unlock Disease Insights – Technology Networks

    Unlocking Disease Insights by Tracking DNA and RNA Together

    The future of battery technology – Engineer Live

    Revolutionizing Energy: Exploring the Future of Battery Technology

    How Can Boosting Your Travel Experience with Less Technology Lead to a More Relaxing Vacation? All You Need to Know About This Latest Trend – Travel And Tour World

    How Can Boosting Your Travel Experience with Less Technology Lead to a More Relaxing Vacation? All You Need to Know About This Latest Trend – Travel And Tour World

    Davenport CornCon Cybersecurity Conference helps students explore technology, AI use – KWQC

    Davenport CornCon Cybersecurity Conference Ignites Student Passion for Technology and AI Innovations

    Inside Europe’s military technology resurgence – NBC News

    Europe’s Bold Comeback: Unveiling the Rise of Cutting-Edge Military Technology

    Vicor Corporation: Great Technology, Execution Trapped In Time (NASDAQ:VICR) – Seeking Alpha

    Vicor Corporation: Innovative Technology Hindered by Lackluster Execution

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Bluesman James Montgomery Will Perform In Falmouth – CapeNews.net

    Blues Legend James Montgomery Ready to Ignite the Stage in Falmouth

    Mexican singer Pedro Fernández to make Ave Fénix tour stop in Stockton. Tickets, schedule – Yahoo

    Mexican Singer Pedro Fernández Brings the Ave Fénix Tour to Stockton – Don’t Miss It!

    Flutter Entertainment’s SWOT Analysis: Uncovering the Growth Potential Amid Challenges

    Dylan Efron Shares Sweet ‘DWTS’ Rehearsal Photos Featuring His Little Sister Olivia – yahoo.com

    Dylan Efron’s Heartwarming ‘DWTS’ Rehearsal Moments with Little Sister Olivia

    Diane Keaton, Oscar-Winning Star of ‘Annie Hall’ and ‘The Godfather,’ Dies at 79 – Yahoo

    Diane Keaton, Oscar-Winning Star of ‘Annie Hall’ and ‘The Godfather,’ Dies at 79 – Yahoo

    THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Shares First Look Teaser Trailer (And It’s Fangtastic) – Yahoo

    THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Shares First Look Teaser Trailer (And It’s Fangtastic) – Yahoo

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Tracking DNA and RNA Together To Unlock Disease Insights – Technology Networks

    Unlocking Disease Insights by Tracking DNA and RNA Together

    The future of battery technology – Engineer Live

    Revolutionizing Energy: Exploring the Future of Battery Technology

    How Can Boosting Your Travel Experience with Less Technology Lead to a More Relaxing Vacation? All You Need to Know About This Latest Trend – Travel And Tour World

    How Can Boosting Your Travel Experience with Less Technology Lead to a More Relaxing Vacation? All You Need to Know About This Latest Trend – Travel And Tour World

    Davenport CornCon Cybersecurity Conference helps students explore technology, AI use – KWQC

    Davenport CornCon Cybersecurity Conference Ignites Student Passion for Technology and AI Innovations

    Inside Europe’s military technology resurgence – NBC News

    Europe’s Bold Comeback: Unveiling the Rise of Cutting-Edge Military Technology

    Vicor Corporation: Great Technology, Execution Trapped In Time (NASDAQ:VICR) – Seeking Alpha

    Vicor Corporation: Innovative Technology Hindered by Lackluster Execution

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Health

A potential game-changer for emergency medicine: Synthetic platelets

July 3, 2024
in Health
A potential game-changer for emergency medicine: Synthetic platelets
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

platelet

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Imagine being a paramedic treating a trauma patient who’s bleeding severely. You know your patient’s life is in danger, but there’s not much you can do because the patient needs an infusion of blood containing platelets. Platelets encourage clotting, help stop bleeding, and are critical in emergencies like this. Yet on board your ambulance, none are on hand.

As it turns out, it’s not an uncommon problem.

Unlike whole blood (plasma, red and white blood cells, and platelets) that can be stored for up to a month under constant refrigeration, platelets by themselves need a different and even more challenging kind of attention. They require constant agitation to keep them from clumping, and they must be kept at room temperature to maintain their clotting function. The increased risk of bacterial contamination at room temperature means they have a shorter shelf life.

“Platelets only last about five days,” said Ashley Brown, Ph.D., an associate professor in the joint biomedical engineering program at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “This makes them one of the weakest—yet most critical—links in the chain when you look at blood products we need to access quickly.”

And that’s just the beginning of the difficulties. Platelets are frequently in short supply as they’re harvested from human donors, they’re hard to transport, and they can carry contamination risks.

A miracle solution?

To overcome these obstacles, Brown and her team have come up with something novel that just might check all the boxes: synthetic platelets. The synthetic platelets they have designed have a long shelf life, can be stored under a variety of conditions, and don’t carry contamination risks in the animal models they’ve so far been tested on.

The platelets are created using hydrogel nanoparticles—gels invisible to the naked eye that are formed through a mixture of water and a tiny bit of polymer molecules to give them structure. Brown calls the magical result “Jell-O at the microscale”—except for one enhancement.

“We designed the platelets in a way that makes them extra squishy,” Brown said. “It was really important for us to mimic features of natural platelets.”

One area where these synthetic platelets really shine is their ability to focus on the site of injury after injecting them intravenously, said Ronald Warren, Ph.D., a program director in the Division of Blood Diseases and Resources at NHLBI. “Other methods to treat internal hemorrhage can run the risk of off-target clot formation, which could lead to stroke, heart attack, or pulmonary embolism,” he explained.

Brown’s platelets are engineered to incorporate antibody fragments on the surface of the hydrogel that bind to a protein, called fibrin, that is naturally produced when the body is injured. The platelets use the antibody like a homing mechanism to go directly to the injury site. The fibrin’s job is to generate a mesh-like substance to enhance clot formation. The researchers found that the synthetic platelets can help stiffen the clot and stabilize it, which then aids the wound-healing process after clotting happens.

“This was a really exciting finding and a total surprise when we first discovered it,” Brown said. She explained that if a person is bleeding excessively, the body isn’t able to make enough fibrin. But when her platelets are infused, they can actually speed up fibrin formation.

After they reach the site of the injury and become active, the platelets, due to their squishiness, can also change shape—from being rounded to being more star-like, mimicking what natural platelets do in the body. This change encourages a process called clot retraction, or the shrinking of a blood clot to allow the edges of the injured blood vessel wall to be slowly brought together again for repair.

The squishiness of the platelets gives them another advantage at the end of the process. “They can squeeze through pores that are way smaller than their size, allowing them to be excreted by the kidneys,” Brown said. “Normally they would accumulate in the liver, which could have harmful effects.”

Still testing—and showing promise

Brown and her research team have been testing the synthetic platelets in a variety of animal models, and so far the results have been positive. In mice with liver injuries, the synthetic platelets went directly to the injury site and had the lowest levels of blood loss when compared to mice given normal platelets or a control solution of saline. At seven days after injury, mice given the synthetic platelets also had the smallest wounds, a sign of improved healing. Testing in rats with an injury to the blood vessel instead of the liver, the researchers found similarly promising results.

But Brown said that pigs are the gold standard, for their ability to provide greater insight into how synthetic platelets might work in humans. When given immediately after a liver injury in pigs, the synthetic platelets traveled to the site of injury and reduced blood loss. They also didn’t cause any measurable allergic or immune system reactions, and began to be excreted by the kidneys in as little as two hours after injection.

“We think that synthetic platelets could be the best thing since sliced bread, but that’s yet to be determined through further testing,” Brown said. Her team is still experimenting to find the ideal conditions to store the platelets for the best results. Currently, testing shows they can be stored as a freeze-dried powder, which could be useful in ambulances or similar trauma situations such as on the battlefield, or suspended in a solution that may be better for hospital use.

While they continue testing storage conditions, Brown has launched a company with her colleague Seema Nandi, Ph.D. serving as the CEO. SelSym Biotech is focused on completing all the necessary steps, such as manufacturing, pre-clinical studies, and clinical trials, to get synthetic platelets into clinical use. It will evaluate the long-term stability and safety of the platelets, as well as work out the processes for scaling up production after testing in humans shows they are safe and effective. Brown expects those trials to begin in about two years.

“By developing a new generation of treatment options for emergency medicine, this research may help improve patient outcomes while potentially reducing health care costs,” Warren said. “Unlike donated platelets, which can vary in quality, synthetic platelets could potentially be produced in large quantities with uniform quality and performance.”

Brown said she is hopeful the platelets will find their way to emergency medical service vehicles, military medic kits, and hospitals soon, so that her “extremely motivating” work to save lives finally pays off.

“So many people die from unnecessary bleeding injuries,” she said. “I’m hopeful that this work could have a big impact.”

Citation:
A potential game-changer for emergency medicine: Synthetic platelets (2024, July 2)
retrieved 2 July 2024
from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-07-potential-game-changer-emergency-medicine.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Medical Xpress – https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-07-potential-game-changer-emergency-medicine.html

Tags: Game-ChangerhealthPotential
Previous Post

Study reveals new factor associated with the risk of severe COVID-19 in people with obesity

Next Post

FDA Approves Donanemab for Early Alzheimer’s

2026 NFL mock draft: Steelers’ strategy post-Aaron Rodgers, Cowboys eye Micah Parsons replacement – CBS Sports

2026 NFL Mock Draft: Steelers’ Bold Moves After Aaron Rodgers, Cowboys Target Micah Parsons’ Successor

October 15, 2025
Preview: could Premier League fitness make the difference in recurve men? – World Archery

Could Premier League Fitness Transform the Future of Recurve Archery?

October 15, 2025
The $2.5 trillion ocean economy is at a crossroads. Capital must act now – Fortune

The $2.5 Trillion Ocean Economy at a Crossroads: Why Urgent Capital Investment Is Essential

October 15, 2025
Bluesman James Montgomery Will Perform In Falmouth – CapeNews.net

Blues Legend James Montgomery Ready to Ignite the Stage in Falmouth

October 15, 2025
30-year decline in Kansas health can be reversed with leadership, report finds – Kansas Reflector

30-year decline in Kansas health can be reversed with leadership, report finds – Kansas Reflector

October 15, 2025
Scorecard ranks Northwest politician as the most Trump-aligned Democrat in Congress – OregonLive.com

Northwest Politician Touted as the Most Trump-Aligned Democrat in Congress

October 14, 2025
CVYS reiterates ban on activities threatening ecology and public order – Nagaland Tribune

CVYS Takes a Strong Stand to Protect Ecology and Public Safety

October 14, 2025
Inaugural Implementation Science Symposium Highlights Excitement for Burgeoning Discipline – Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

Inaugural Implementation Science Symposium Ignites Excitement for Emerging Field

October 14, 2025
Scientists find the brain’s hidden pulse that may predict Alzheimer’s – ScienceDaily

Scientists find the brain’s hidden pulse that may predict Alzheimer’s – ScienceDaily

October 14, 2025
You know you’re smarter than someone if these 10 thought patterns are obvious to you but not them – VegOut

10 Thought Patterns That Show You’re Smarter Than Most People

October 14, 2025

Categories

Archives

October 2025
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Sep    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (867)
  • Economy (889)
  • Entertainment (21,761)
  • General (17,599)
  • Health (9,931)
  • Lifestyle (901)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (889)
  • Politics (899)
  • Science (16,099)
  • Sports (21,389)
  • Technology (15,868)
  • World (872)

Recent News

2026 NFL mock draft: Steelers’ strategy post-Aaron Rodgers, Cowboys eye Micah Parsons replacement – CBS Sports

2026 NFL Mock Draft: Steelers’ Bold Moves After Aaron Rodgers, Cowboys Target Micah Parsons’ Successor

October 15, 2025
Preview: could Premier League fitness make the difference in recurve men? – World Archery

Could Premier League Fitness Transform the Future of Recurve Archery?

October 15, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version