Synthetic Platelets Cut Clotting Time Every second counts when
treating a traumatic injury. While our bodies are built to
quickly stem bleeding from everyday nicks and cuts, major
trauma—whether sustained on the battlefield or in a car
accident—can cause hemorrhaging that often overwhelms the body's
natural blood-clotting process. To give nature a boost, a team
led by Erin Lavik, a Case Western Reserve University biomedical
engineering professor, and her former doctoral student James P.
Bertram, have built synthetic platelets from biodegradable
polymers that are designed to link up with natural platelets at
the site of an injury, like adding sandbags to a levy along a
flooding river. Blood platelets are the structural and chemical
foundation of blood clotting. Using donor platelets can enhance
clotting, but carries risks of several complications. And these
platelets must be refrigerated and have a short shelf life.
Tests show Lavik's synthetic platelets stay viable for at least
two weeks. In tests, use of the