SBIR Phase II: Manufacturing and Characterization of a Synthetic Platelet (SynthoPlateTM) Technology

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to advance a technology for the treatment of uncontrolled hemorrhaging (bleeding) after traumatic injury. Uncontrolled hemorrhage from trauma is the a major cause of death, but an estimated 40% are potentially preventable if hemorrhage control can be achieved rapidly. In hospitals, such traumatic bleeding is treated by transfusion of donated blood to assist with clotting to stanch bleeding, but this source suffers from lack of timely availability, high risk of bacterial contamination, and short shelf-life (5-7 days). The proposed technology will rapidly stanch bleeding by adhering to the injury site and amplifying the individual's clotting mechanisms. In addition, it offers advantages of large-scale manufacturing, sterilizability, long shelf life, and easy portability/storage for on-demand use. This project will advance the engineering of this nanotechnology at scale. This SBIR Phase II project will advance the development of a synthetic hemostat nanotechnology for manufacturing at scale. Uncontrolled hemorrhage from trauma is typically managed by transfusion of donor blood-derived platelets, which suffer from many disadvantages. This project will advance the development of a synthetic platelet surrogate nanotechnology with the following technical objectives: 1) Develop and validate lipid-peptide conjugation methods; 2) Develop and validate lipid-peptide characterization methods; 3) Develop and validate liposome manufacture methods; 4) Test at batch scale; 5) Test consistency at scale. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.