Baltimore Sun
St. Louis biotech company moves to Baltimore to develop fake blood for real emergencies
By Meredith Cohn|Sep. 23, 2019
A small biotechnology company developing a synthetic blood for use when supplies are low or unavailable is moving to Baltimore from St. Louis and affiliating with the University of Maryland BioPark.
During a trauma, blood loss is the leading cause of preventable death, but bags of blood aren’t always available, such as on the battlefield or at a mass casualty scene. There is no real blood substitute, though some products are in the works.
ErythroMer, the blood product created by the Missouri biotechnology firm KaloCyte, is in development and could be tested in humans in two to three years, the company reports. If proved safe and effective, it could become the only such blood substitute able to be freeze-dried for longer-term storage and transport.
That would make ErythroMer more useful in military or domestic trauma settings, as well as in developing countries, company officials said.