Team Clot
Our Research
Why clotting?
Hemostasis is a natural process that stops hemorrhage caused by blood vessel damage. There are limits to the body’s natural clotting process, especially in cases of severe bleeding in surgical or traumatic events. Research has demonstrated that hemostasis can be augmented and accelerated with synthetic and naturally derived agents. We present an analysis of hemostasis and a summary of the mechanisms, benefits, and limitations of existing commercial agents. We take into consideration the conclusions drawn from previous research on hemostatic polymer agents for the development of hemostatic agents and hemostatic measurement techniques.
Our Hypothesis
The hypothesis of this work is that the application of a polymer hydrogel microparticles, made of chitosan and alginate, and loaded with a procoagulant, such as adenosine diphosphate (ADP)* or zeolite,* to an open wound will significantly accelerate time to hemostasis and stop uncontrollable bleeding. The mechanical welling and ionic character of the chitosan-alginate complex will create a physical barrier to blood loss. The hydrogel material itself in conjunction with the release of the loaded procoagulant will augment primary and secondary hemostasis.
Our Aims
In order to investigate and answer the research question, the team has identified three primary aims. The first aim is to synthesize and characterize the polymer hydrogel microparticles. The second aim is to assess the effect of the hydrogel microparticles on platelet activation and aggregation, coagulation, and biocompatibility in vitro. The third aim is to evaluate the efficacy of the polymer hydrogel in a surgical injury model in vivo.
