Novel Magnetic Homeostatic Agents to Arrest Hemorrhage

The Phase II SBIR project aims at developing novel approaches for controlling the so-called "non-compressible hemorrhage." The approach would involve formulating a biocompatible magnetic fluid, which would undergo a reversible liquid-solid transition at the site of injury and seal off the broken blood vessel. This would improve the immediate management in the field of combat casualties with minor to moderate bleeding. Our initial goal is to develop means for controlling bleeding from sites located on the extremities and/or from lacerations involving the femoral or axillary vessels. During the Phase I effort, we successfully formulated magnetic nanoparticles which were non-toxic to human cell lines and have an appreciable magnetic moment and a superparamagnetic nature. Phase II will focus on long term in vitro as well as in vivo toxicity in both small and large animals followed by testing in small and large animal bleeding models.