Researchers at McGill University have developed a rapid way to engineer blood clots that stop severe bleeding and support tissue healing more effectively. Their technique, called "click clotting," links red blood cell surface proteins through a chemical reaction, resulting in a biocompatible clot that is 13 times more resistant to fracturing and four times more adhesive than natural blood clots. The team said the method could be used to develop life-saving biomaterials to help control severe bleeding, as well as benefit people with clotting disorders.
"Natural blood clots can be slow to form and mechanically fragile, which limits their ability to stop severe bleeding and can compromise healing," said Jianyu Li, senior author and Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Canada Research Chair in Tissue Repair and Regeneration. "Our work shows that, when engineered appropriately, red blood cells can play a central structural role, enabling the design of stronger and more functional biomaterials."
Shuaibing Jiang led the research during his PhD studies at McGill. He is now a Postdoctoral Associate at Mass General Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School.
Researchers at the University of British Columbia, the Medical College of Wisconsin, the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Toronto, and the Versiti Blood Research Institute also contributed.
Connected by chemical reaction
Previous efforts to crosslink red blood cells used chitosan, a polymer derived from crustacean shells, but these led to brittle clots, ruptured cells and inconsistent clotting. In "click clotting," the clot structure is fundamentally strengthened through a fast, bio-safe chemical reaction that connects proteins on the red blood cell surface, forming a solid gel in just five seconds.
Because the "click" reaction doesn't interfere with normal blood chemistry, it can work alongside the body's natural clotting process. As a result, the artificial cell‑based gel, called a "cytogel," can be added to whole blood, where it becomes embedded within the body's own fibrin clot.
"The technology enables both autologous clots (using the patient's own blood) and allogeneic clots (using type-matched donor blood). Autologous clots can be prepared in approximately 20 minutes, while allogeneic clots can be prepared within about 10 minutes. Given typical clinical time constraints, this approach has strong potential for in-patient emergency care, wound management and related settings," Li said.
The results were confirmed through in vitro testing, as well as by testing on rodents. A highlight was the effective healing and regeneration observed in the injured liver, with performance exceeding that of the clinically used product tested in this study. Analysis showed minimal evidence of immune reactivity and no toxicity in major organs.
Further research required
The researchers say that while further study is required before the cytogel can be used in clinical settings, the research establishes a foundation for its design and application.
"Engineered blood clots have strong potential for broad clinical use and could improve outcomes across many medical situations," Li said.
About this study
"Engineering tough blood clots for rapid hemostasis and enhanced regeneration," by Shuaibing Jiang, Guangyu Bao, Zhen Yang, Jing Wu, Xingwei Yang, Joo Eun June Kim, Roselyn Jiang, Oliver Zhan, Alexander Nottegar, Yin Liu, Anastasia Nijnik, Rong Long, Jianyu Li et al., was published in Nature.
The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the New Frontiers in Research Fund - Exploration.
