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Blood Substitutes May Be Able To Do What Regular Blood Cannot
Those who speak of the promise of synthetic blood often focus on its potential use in trauma situations —such as after vehicular accidents, for example, or military combat. But there are other medical situations in which blood substitutes can save lives, too. In some cases, doctors believe these substitutes may actually be a better option than blood itself.
For one thing, most of the promising blood substitutes — more accurately called "oxygen therapeutics" because their primary function is to deliver oxygen throughout the body — are comprised of particles far smaller than the average red blood cell (the cell that contains hemoglobin, the molecule responsible for carrying and delivering oxygen). Relatively speaking, red blood cells are huge, often having to "squeeze" themselves through thin blood vessels in the body. This can pose a problem when vessels constrict or become clogged, such as after certain injuries and strokes — when that happens, red cells simply can't get through.
But oxygen therapeutics like Synthetic Blood International's Oxycyte, a therapeutic composed of oxygen-carrying Teflon-like molecules, and Hemopure and PolyHeme, two hemoglobin-derived therapeutics made by Biopure and Northfield Labs, respectively, are made up of particles far smaller than red blood cells. "They're the little guys that just scoot in between everything," says Bruce Spiess, an anesthesiologist at Virginia Commonwealth University, who frequently works with Oxycyte. They can "get to areas where red blood cells can't, and they can also help unload the oxygen off the red blood cells and deliver it to the sites of injury." These products could be useful for treating patients suffering from heart attacks and strokes, he adds. "If we can use something else to get past areas of obstruction or low flow where red blood cells can't get to, then we can really move medicine way forward."
There are also several blood-related diseases for which oxygen therapeutics might be better than treatment with plain old blood. Patients with sickle-cell disease produce abnormal hemoglobin molecules, which deforms their red blood cells into sickle-like shapes, making it more difficult for them to traverse narrow vessels and oxygenate the rest of the body. According to Spiess, oxygen therapeutics like Oxycyte could help ensure that oxygen circulates properly in individuals with the disorder.
The same goes for people suffering from autoimmune hemolytic anemia, a disease in which a person's body turns on its own red blood cells and begins destroying them. "You can't give them any blood, because the blood just gets destroyed," explains Colin MacKenzie, an anesthesiologist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Shock Trauma Center. MacKenzie recently treated a patient with autoimmune hemolytic anemia whose blood hemoglobin levels were a tenth of what they should have been, a level MacKenzie says he has never before seen in his 30 years of clinical experience. The only thing he was able to do was to give him a hemoglobin-based oxygen therapeutic, and "his life was saved by it," he says.
Finally, oxygen therapeutics could save the lives of people with religious beliefs preventing them from accepting blood transfusions. For example, a doctrine adopted by Jehovah's Witnesses prevents them from accepting blood, but many will accept transfusion with blood substitutes, MacKenzie says. "It is not blood, it is not of human origin, and it doesn't contain any cells, so it meets their requirement," he explains.
While their use can be accompanied by side effects, such as stomach upset and skin yellowing, oxygen therapeutics appear to have a promising future. Oxycyte, Hemopure and PolyHeme haven't yet made it to market here in the U.S. — Hemopure is, however, approved for human use in South Africa — but they have shown promise in small clinical trials, and their parent companies have plans to conduct larger, more comprehensive trials in the hopes of eventually gaining FDA approval. And while it's hard to compete with nature's perfect solution, these synthetic therapeutics might end up being able to do some things that blood simply can't. "It's a whole new way to deliver oxygen," says Spiess, and that opens the door to a number of exciting opportunities.
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10.31.07 4:37 AM PDT
Bruce Thompson
I believe so much in Oxycyte by Synthetic Blood International (SYBD) that I've created a website to help spread the word. Please Visit Support-SYBD.com
Sincerely, Bruce Thompson
10.31.07 8:44 AM PDT
Dori Dixon
Northfield Labs. (NFLD) has finished a Phase lll Trial using its very promising Blood Substitute Polyheme and will be submitting a BLA for approval. Keep your eye on this one!
10.31.07 9:44 AM PDT
Wm Downing
My father-in-law who was a pilot, is now Paraplegic due to a stroke. I watched my nephew, president of his high school class years ago and now wheel chair bound and unable to remember yesterday, lay in a hospital bed for days while swelling from a head injury destroyed his brain from lack of oxygen.
Oxycyte can not only change the lives of patients, but the lives of all family members. That's why I invested in SYBD almost 15 years ago and remain a supporter of their efforts. Synthetic Blood International has a product that has already proven it can literally change life on earth for many. It needs to be moved forward hospitals and first responders now. The alternative as stated above, is already known.
10.31.07 5:36 PM PDT
MJ LaRue
I’m in my fifties, and have lung disease, which in turn makes my heart work twice as hard to get oxygenated blood to the brains and body.
Questions: Has anyone studied how Oxycyte will affect these issues?
And, how does one go about volunteering as a test patient?
MJ LaRue
10.31.07 6:08 PM PDT
J L Haungs
Oxycyte is the future and if given the chance to be tested and proven can be a true wounder of the medical field. We need it and the military needs it now. NFLD trials did not work out and now it is time for SYBD to do a larger trial and hopefully it will shine bright.
10.31.07 8:40 PM PDT
Mark McCoskey
My Dad has Hairy Cell Leukemia. His white blood cells soar, while his red blood cells and platelets are destroyed dangerously low. Thin blood and no oxygen being carried and he passes out. Are these therapies useful, beneficial for him?
11.1.07 2:23 AM PDT
j skinner
ty
11.1.07 5:56 PM PDT
j-web
ticker ALLP is worth a look. There product Oxygent is currently in stage 3 trials
11.3.07 8:35 AM PDT
K Andrews
For over 20 yrs to date, nothing has even come close to the capabilities of natural autologous whole blood. These substitute company ventures are no longer funded by any NIH grants, and the FDA will not, and have been reluctant to approve such products until the companies come absolutely clean about product safety and don't hide anything about the adverse effects from their use on humans, no matter who the hire to be the talking head or company speaker. I applaud their efforts, but absolute truth and safety must come first in patient care over profits with transparency of no conflicts of interest.
11.4.07 3:53 PM PST
Rosemary Miramontes
My son who is 23 just had a motorcylce accident on 10/19, doctors have said that he partially severed his brain stem. Can Oxycyte help my son, how do I contact your doctors or how do I have someone call me to discuss the possibility of getting the this type of blood for my son. He just started opening his eyes just 4 days ago, but doctors can't say yet how much of his body will be paralyzed. They are trying to keep his oxygen levels stable at this time. Please advise, please!
11.4.07 4:21 PM PST
Rose
My 23 year old son just had a motorcylce accident on 10/19, didn't break any bones but had internal injuries which have been healing. MRI was done as well as CAT scan, he partially severed his brain stem. He was in a coma for week and half. He just started opening his eyes 4 days ago, doctor's don't yet know the extent of his being paralyzed. Can this Oxygent product help my son? How do I contact you to find out and how would I go about the possiblity of letting him be a test patient? Please please contact me. Thank you.
11.5.07 11:48 PM PST
Kenneth
I will be dead soon of long term brain damage do to an accident at birth and I am in acceptance with that and since life is rather hard now I am a bit welcoming it. I used to have a memory of an elephant now I sometimes have treble remembering when I have to take my meds and I might start the dishwasher by starting the coffee. Since they are doing work with head trauma I think that it would be a good idea to study what happens if they use this as an experiment on old head trauma. Please excuse me if I have spelling errors I see the letter and my brain types another!
11.10.07 11:43 PM PST
T. Singfield
I think this would help lots of people. Closer to home I think this may be the answer that I have been praying for, my son who is 3 has Sickle cell Anemia Disease and I am against blood transfusions.
11.19.07 8:29 AM PST
Arthur P Bollon, Ph.D.
Since toxicity has been a problem with blood substitutes, a novel and patented approach is HemoTech which uses adenosine to overcome the toxicities of vasoconstriction and inflamation of other blood substitute attempts. For more information see HemoBioTech, Inc. at www.hemobiotech.com
1.16.08 12:38 AM PST
Roula S.Zeidan, BS
People are often afraid to use artificial products, yet what you are going to hear is quite comforting.I have a BS in Biology. As my graduation project during the 4th academic year, I have prepared a research about different types of blood substitutes. Many researches applied are pretty promising and this field has made a good progress. Many products have already completed phaseIII clinical trials and others are ready for use and approved by the FDA. So if it ever happens that you or any of your family members ever need to be injected with artificial blood, don't hesitate. It's quite safe. Artificial blood is much better than allogenic blood in that it is pathogen free- thus you don't have to worry about disease transmission- and your immune system handels it pretty well since it is antigen free. So if your blood type is rare & you have problems in finding donors, artificial blood is the best solution.
Put your trust in blood substitutes and support it so that it can proceed and progress more and more.
3.29.08 5:50 AM PDT
velance
thanks for all the info> help mi so much in my biology^^
3.31.08 7:40 AM PDT
jw4ever
WOW a medical break through that those with Religious convictions can look forward to.
4.3.08 11:45 AM PDT
Skip Muller
I am looking forward to an efficatious development of a blood substitute. In the eyes of our Creator,an individual's blood is sacred, and not to be used outside of one's own body.
6.12.08 10:59 PM PDT
Roula Zeidan, B S
I have recently read a comment posted by a student preparing her Ph D thesis about artificial blood from a biophysics prospect. My advice to you is to do your study on Respirocytes which are mechanical erythrocytes with onboard nanocomputers & pressure thermal & chemical sensors. This field is the most promising artificial blood "product" in my point of view. There is a detailed article by Freitas on the subject that you can read.I think that it is really worth working on it for it holds pretty good hope to human kind. Good luck with your thesis.
11.12.08 12:17 PM PST
michael
what are the chances that polyheme gets approval from FDA or at least have the BLA honored? anyone? thanks
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