It reads like a bad science fiction novel: A small Illinois biotech company cuts a deal with UCSD. The university agrees to test a substitute for human blood on comatose patients — victims of gunshots …
How Polyheme is made
First, hemoglobin is extracted from red blood cells and filtered to remove impurities. This purified hemoglobin is then chemically modified and purifies using a multi-step process to create a polymerized form of hemoglobin. The modified hemoglobin is then incorporated into an electrolyte solution.
Polymerization is intended to eliminate the undesirable effects historically associated with hemoglobin-based blood substitutes: vasoconstriction, kidney dysfunction, liver dysfunction, and gastrointestinal distress.
Posted July 28, 2005
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UCSD experiments with PolyHeme blood transfusions of comatose patients - south of I-8
July 28, 2005