Blood and sweat, but no tears

Researchers have used seaweed to create haemostatic sponges and injectables that almost instantaneously stop excessive bleeding. A team led by Vivek Verma, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, used agar from red algae, bacterial cellulose cultured in a laboratory and polydopamine, a bio-inspired polymer, to develop these agents capable of stopping bleeding within a minute. In severe bleeding, the body's natural haemostatic mechanism is often inadequate.

The work, which led to three patent applications, two of which have already been granted, is significant. Apart from possessing excellent haemostatic properties, the cryogel developed by the scientists has an absorption capacity of up to 40 times its weight, and is biocompatible and non-toxic. The gel-forming capability of the haemostat comes mainly from a polysaccharide called agarose present in agar. 

"We have tested the products in vitro as well as in vivo. We found them to be superior to products commercially available in the market in certain aspects and comparable in others," says Verma, who is looking for partners to take the products through clinical trials and commercialisation. "What we have done so far is proof-of-concept studies."

Vijay Sharma, a trauma surgeon at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, who tested the haemostat in rat models, says the outcome was impressive. He stresses the urgent need to develop such haemostatic agents indigenously because the imported ones are often expensive. "For instance, a product that I use to stop bleeding during surgeries is as expensive as ₹20,000 for a vial," he says.

Verma's team, with researchers from IIT Kanpur's Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, has also developed an injectable hydrogel that can be used for treating deep wounds such as those caused by bullets. "Most of the haemostats currently available are sponge-based and can be put only on the surface of the skin. They won't help much (in deep wounds)," Verma says. The liquid-based hydrogel can be injected inside the wound, stopping the bleeding in no time. The material can be removed once the victim is in a hospital. The initial funding for the project came from the Defence Research and Development Organisation, the joint owner of one of the three patents with IIT Kanpur.