The US Food and Drug Administration has cleared the first human clinical trials for a fully synthetic blood substitute designed to carry oxygen. The product, developed by San Francisco-based HemoSynthetix, could help resolve chronic shortages in emergency trauma care.
Traditional blood donations must be kept cold and expire within 42 days. The synthetic substitute, called OxiMatrix, uses an artificial protein shell that holds oxygen molecules. It can be stored at room temperature for up to two years and works with all blood types.
Emergency Trauma Applications
The trial will enroll 120 healthy volunteers to test for safety and dosage levels. First responders and military medics are watching the results closely. In remote emergency situations, having a stable blood substitute could save lives during the first hour of trauma.
"OxiMatrix does not replace human blood for long-term care," says HemoSynthetix CEO Dr. Aris Thorne. "But it buys time. It keeps organs oxygenated while a patient is in transit to a hospital."
Initial safety data from the phase one trial is expected by early 2027.
