"Our studies to date have shown that HemoTech is safe, effective, inexpensive to manufacture, and convenient to administer," maintains Jan Simoni, who has served since 1993 as the
Blood Substitute Group Leader and associate professor of research in the Department of Surgery, where he co-invented HemoTech along with fellow researcher Mario Feola.
Needless to say, many biomedical researchers have since embraced Chang's artificial cellular-based approach to carry hemoglobin through the body, and companies are presently conducting clinical trials with
blood substitutes.
However, the study protocol allows PolyHeme to be given for up to 12 hours after arrival at the hospital in those patients who received the
blood substitute during the ambulance ride.
HemoBioTech is engaged in the commercial development of HemoTech, a novel human
blood substitute technology exclusively licensed from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.
This
blood substitute can be produced in large quantities and stored for two years at 41[degrees]F, and for more than four months at 86[degrees]F, compared to 40 days at 39[degrees]F for natural blood.
But a new fluorocarbon-based
blood substitute, called Oxygent, uses bromo-perfluoro-octane, a fluorocarbon that is quickly excreted by the lungs.
It's the first
blood substitute ever approved for use.
Animal hemoglobin is a promising alternative as the
blood substitute. Enzon and other companies are adapting hemoglobin from cows to this purpose.
Another
blood substitute has been tried on people who have refused blood transfusions because of religious convictions.
But the
blood substitute and protocols developed in order to advance cryonics technology have immediate applications in low-temperature medicine.
For clinicians, hematologists, medicinal chemists, biotechnologists, and
blood substitute researchers, this volume offers thorough treatment of underlying principles as well as cutting edge innovations.