A groundbreaking study, published in Scientific translational medicine, presents a biomedical engineering innovation with the potential to transform trauma care and surgical practices. Chapman University Fowler School of Engineering founding dean and professor Andrew Lyon is a member of this multidisciplinary, multi-university scientific research team developing platelet-like particles that integrate into the body’s clotting pathways to stop bleeding. . Chapman University student Sanika Pandit is also among the 15 authors of this research.
This advancement, which addresses a long-standing gap in surgical and trauma care, has potential for implementation by patients. Patients who suffer acute trauma often require platelet transfusions to control bleeding; Storage limitations restrict its usefulness in prehospital settings. Synthetic platelet-like particles (PLPs) offer a potential alternative to rapidly address uncontrolled bleeding.
The team has designed platelet-like particles capable of traveling through the bloodstream and then targeting the site of tissue damage, where they increase the clotting process and then support subsequent wound healing. The approach addresses an unmet clinical need in trauma care and surgical practice.
“This work represents a pivotal moment in biomedical engineering and shows the tangible translational potential of platelet-like particles,” Lyon said. “This remarkable collaborative effort has resulted in a solution that not only addresses critical clinical needs but also suggests a paradigm shift in treatment modalities.”
The study’s comprehensive approach involved rigorous testing in larger animal models of traumatic injury and illustrated that the intervention is extremely well tolerated in a variety of models.
Ashley Brown, corresponding author of the study and associate professor in the joint biomedical engineering program at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said: “In the mouse and pig models, the rates of healing were comparable in animals that received platelet transfusions and synthetic platelet transfusions and both groups fared better than animals that did not receive either transfusion.”
One of the most significant findings of the study is that these particles can be excreted through the kidneys, which represents a major advance in the elimination pathways associated with injectable synthetic biomaterials. The notable safety profile demonstrated in the study makes it safe and effective in surgical and trauma interventions. This advancement could potentially lead to better medical treatments and outcomes for patients undergoing such procedures.
Lyon noted: “Given the success of our research and the effectiveness of synthetic platelets, the team is moving forward on a path aimed at eventually seeing clinical implementation of this technology.”