Synthetic platelets have been shown to stop bleeding of an injury in animal studies, researchers have reported.
The platelets have been developed for use with patients of any blood type, and are designed to find their way to the site of injury and promote healing, according to the developers at the University of North Carolina, USA.
The synthetic platelets are made of hydrogel nanoparticles that mimic the size, shape and mechanical properties of human platelets. They incorporate antibody fragments that bind to fibrin and so promote clotting.
Reporting in the journal Science Translational Medicine, the researchers have shown that the platelets work in animal studies involving mice and pigs. They believe the synthetic platelets could be ma...
3 days ago