An international research team has shown that a biocompatible liquid can stop bleeding within seconds. The discovery could cut to the heart of many problems facing hospital emergency rooms and operating theaters.

"We have found a way to stop bleeding, in less than fifteen seconds, that could revolutionize bleeding control," said Rutledge Ellis-Behnke, a research scientist in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He and his colleagues there and at Hong Kong University have investigated liquids, composed of peptides (strings of amino acids), and found that when applied to open wounds, the peptides self-assemble into a protective barrier gel that seals the wound and halts bleeding. As the wound heals, the non-toxic gel gradually breaks down into materials that cells can use to help in the repair.

There are few effective methods of halting bleeding without causing other harm during surgery. Clamps, applied pressure, cauterization, vasoconstriction, and sponges all bring their own problems, and with half of surgical time spent on controlling bleeding, a new approach is desperately needed.

The MIT and HKU researchers tested their peptide solution on several different types of wounds in the brain, liver, skin, spinal cord, and intestinal tissue of wounded laboratory animals. "In almost every one of the cases, we were able to immediately stop the bleeding," said Ellis-Behnke.

The team discovered the effect almost by accident. Earlier this year, they were testing a peptide solution as a tissue repair matrix to see whether it would allow brain cells to regrow and so restore sight in brain damaged laboratory animals. This experiment was successful, but the team noticed that some of the peptides used in the matrix also stopped bleeding, and set about testing it for this effect. The peptide mix could revolutionize surgery. "The time to perform an operation could potentially be reduced by up to 50 percent," said Ellis-Behnke. The exact mechanism of the solutions' action is still unknown, but the researchers believe the peptides interact with the surrounding the cells. "It is a completely new way to stop bleeding; whether it produces a physical barrier is unclear at this time," Ellis-Behnke explains.

http://web.mit.edu/bcs/aboutbcs/

http://web.mit.edu/deshpandecenter/proj_ellisbehnke.html

Neuromed, 2006, in press; http://dx.doi.org/; http://www.nanomedjournal.com/inpress

Proc Natl Acad Sci, 2006, 103, 5054-5059; http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0600559103

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2006/brainfix.html