Developing Field Deployable, Shelf-stable Whole Blood Substitutes to Treat Hemorrhage, FSHARP, is a four-year effort, organized as two sequential 24-month phases, during which two Technical Areas (TAs) will be concurrently addressed. The objective of TA1, Blood Substitute Development, is to develop multiple therapeutically-active bio-artificial components that will address oxygen delivery, cessation of bleeding, and replacement of volume. The objective of TA2, Manufacturing and Stabilization, is to develop chemical modifications and manufacturing approaches that enable the products developed in TA1 to be produced in an easily portable form that can be maintained under a range of environmental conditions, and to be manufactured in sufficient quantities on a timescale that meets DoD needs. Performers will complete yearly demonstrations to prove capabilities.
Performers will develop bio-artificial products that perform the therapeutic functions of blood components important for resuscitation; integration of these products into formulations that can be co-administered to achieve near-parity to whole blood functionality with no adverse effects; preservation processes that impart up to 6-months-long shelf-stability in a variety of expected operational conditions without cold-chain requirement; and manufacturing processes and technologies that enable quick, scalable, cost-effective, and consistent production.
Check out this great Post-Gazette article and this VOX article discussing this program and the involvement of University of Pittsburgh researchers at the Trauma and Transfusion Medical Research Center, Drs. Philip Spinella, Matthew Neal and Susan Shea.