A groundbreaking study published in Science Translational Medicine highlights a biomedical engineering innovation that has the potential to revolutionize trauma care and surgical practices. The research team, which includes Chapman University’s Founding Dean and Professor Andrew Lyon, is developing platelet-like particles (PLPs) that can integrate into the body’s clotting pathways to stop hemorrhage. Alumna Sanika Pandit is also among the 15 authors involved in this project. This advancement aims to address a longstanding gap in surgical and trauma care by offering an alternative to platelet transfusions for managing bleeding in patients experiencing acute trauma.
The engineered PLPs have the ability to travel through the bloodstream and home in on the site of tissue damage, where they can enhance the clotting process and support wound healing. This approach fills an unmet clinical need in trauma care and surgical practice. Lyon views this work as a pivotal moment in biomedical engineering, showcasing the practical translational potential of Platelet-Like Particles. The collaborative effort behind this breakthrough not only addresses critical clinical needs but also hints at a shift in treatment modalities that could benefit patients in various medical settings.
The study’s comprehensive approach involved thorough testing in larger animal models of traumatic injury, demonstrating that the intervention is well tolerated across a range of models. Ashley Brown, the corresponding author and associate professor in the joint biomedical engineering program at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, highlighted that both mouse and pig models showed comparable healing rates in animals that received platelet transfusions and synthetic platelet transfusions. Additionally, both groups had better outcomes compared to animals that did not receive any transfusion. This suggests that the synthetic platelets are effective in managing bleeding and promoting healing in traumatic injury situations.
A noteworthy finding from the study is that the synthetic platelet-like particles can be excreted renally, representing a breakthrough in the elimination pathways associated with injectable synthetic biomaterials. This remarkable safety profile further supports the potential for using this technology in trauma and surgical interventions. Lyon emphasized the success of the research and the effectiveness of the synthetic platelets, indicating that the team is moving forward with the goal of eventually implementing this technology in clinical settings. This advancement has the potential to enhance medical treatments and outcomes for patients undergoing trauma and surgical procedures.
Overall, the development of platelet-like particles offers a promising solution to the challenge of managing bleeding in acute trauma cases where platelet transfusions may be limited by storage constraints. By engineering PLPs that can augment the clotting process and support wound healing, the research team has addressed a critical clinical need in trauma care and surgical practice. The success of this innovative approach in larger animal models, combined with its excellent safety profile and effective elimination pathways, sets the stage for potential clinical implementation in the future. This breakthrough in biomedical engineering has the potential to improve medical treatments and outcomes for patients in need of trauma and surgical interventions.