KAIST scientists have created a fast-acting, steady powder hemostat that stops bleeding in a single second and will considerably enhance survival in fight and emergency medication.
Extreme blood loss stays the first reason behind loss of life from fight accidents. To handle this problem, a analysis crew at KAIST that included an lively responsibility Military Main got down to develop a quicker and extra dependable method to cease bleeding.
Their work led to a next-generation powder-type hemostatic agent that may halt bleeding inside one second when sprayed immediately onto a wound, providing a possible breakthrough for saving lives on the battlefield.
A sprig-on answer in seconds
On December twenty ninth, KAIST introduced {that a} joint crew led by Professor Steve Park of the Division of Supplies Science and Engineering and Professor Sangyong Jon of the Division of Organic Sciences had created a powder primarily based hemostatic agent that quickly types a powerful hydrogel barrier. When utilized to an injured space, the fabric transforms inside about one second, sealing the wound virtually instantly.
The researchers designed the expertise with actual fight situations in thoughts, and the direct involvement of an Military Main helped guarantee its sensible readiness. The agent hardens immediately even in harsh environments comparable to battlefields and catastrophe zones, and its stability throughout storage permits it to be deployed shortly for emergency therapy.
Why current hemostats fall quick
Conventional patch-type hemostatic merchandise generally utilized in medication battle to deal with deep or irregular wounds due to their flat form. These supplies are additionally delicate to warmth and moisture, which limits how simply they are often saved and utilized in demanding settings.
To beat these limitations, the KAIST crew developed the hemostatic agent in a powder kind that may be utilized to wounds of many sizes and shapes, together with these which can be deep or uneven. A single formulation can be utilized throughout a variety of harm sorts, enhancing flexibility in emergency care.
Current powder hemostatic brokers had limits in hemostatic functionality as they functioned by bodily absorbing blood to kind a barrier. To resolve this downside, the analysis crew centered on the ionic reactions inside the blood.
The ‘AGCL powder’ developed this time has a construction that mixes biocompatible pure supplies comparable to Alginate and Gellan Gum (which react with calcium for ultra-fast gelation and bodily sealing) and Chitosan (which bonds with blood elements to reinforce chemical and organic hemostasis). It reacts with cations comparable to calcium within the blood to show right into a gel state in a single second, immediately sealing the wound.
Energy, security, and regeneration
Moreover, by forming a three-dimensional construction contained in the powder, it may possibly take up blood amounting to greater than 7 occasions its personal weight (725%). Resulting from this, it shortly blocks blood stream even in high-pressure and extreme bleeding conditions, and confirmed superior sealing efficiency in comparison with business hemostatic brokers with a excessive adhesive power of over ’40kPa’, a stage of stress that may face up to being pressed strongly by hand.
AGCL powder consists totally of naturally derived supplies, exhibiting a hemolysis charge of lower than 3%, a cell viability charge of over 99%, and an antibacterial impact of 99.9%, making it secure even when involved with blood. In animal experiments, wonderful tissue regeneration results comparable to fast wound restoration and promotion of blood vessel and collagen regeneration had been confirmed.
Confirmed efficiency beneath stress
In surgical liver harm experiments, the quantity of bleeding and hemostasis time had been considerably lowered in comparison with business hemostatic brokers, and liver perform recovered to regular ranges two weeks after surgical procedure. No irregular findings had been noticed in systemic toxicity evaluations.
Particularly, this hemostatic agent maintains its efficiency for 2 years even in room temperature and excessive humidity environments, possessing the benefit of being prepared for speedy use in harsh environments comparable to army operation websites or catastrophe areas.
From protection analysis to civilian care
Though this analysis is a sophisticated new materials expertise developed with nationwide protection functions in thoughts, it has nice potential for software all through emergency medication, together with catastrophe websites, growing nations, and medically underserved areas.
It’s evaluated as a consultant spin-off case the place nationwide protection science and expertise expanded to the personal sector, as it’s able to all the things from emergency therapy on the battlefield to inner surgical hemostasis.
Spin-off case: Increasing or transferring nationwide protection science and expertise to be used within the personal sector. Examples embrace computer systems, GPS, microwave ovens, and so on.
This research was acknowledged for its scientific innovation and nationwide protection utility concurrently, successful the 2025 KAIST Q-Day President’s Award and the Minister of Nationwide Protection Award on the 2024 KAIST-KNDU Nationwide Protection Educational Convention.
Ph.D candidate Kyusoon Park (Military Main), who participated within the analysis, said, “The core of recent warfare is minimizing the lack of human life,” and added, “I began the analysis with a way of mission to avoid wasting even another soldier.” He continued, “I hope this expertise might be used as a life-saving expertise in each nationwide protection and personal medical fields.”
Reference: “An Ionic Gelation Powder for Ultrafast Hemostasis and Accelerated Wound Therapeutic” by Youngju Son, Kyusoon Pak, Taehoon Lee, Monica Celine Prayogo, Jinyoung Choi, Sukkyung Kang, Minjoo Kang, Byungkook Oh, Sang Yu Solar, Sanha Kim, Sung Hole Im, Sangyong Jon and Steve Park, 28 October 2025, Superior Purposeful Supplies.
DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202523910
Assist of the Nationwide Analysis Basis of Korea (NRF).
