A spray-on powder that instantly seals life-threatening wounds could save thousands of lives, say scientists.
The new substance can help prevent excessive bleeding which is the leading cause of death due to injuries in war, according to a study.
The fast-acting powder that stops bleeding in just one second was developed by South Korean scientists who say it can also be applied in emergency hospital procedures.
The research team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Daejeon, which included an Army Major, created the powder that rapidly forms a strong hydrogel barrier when sprayed directly onto a bullet wound.
The team designed the technology with real combat conditions in mind, and the direct involvement of an Army Major helped ensure its practical readiness.
Major Kyusoon Park, who is also a PhD candidate and served as a study co-author, said the substance not only allows “instant hardening” under extreme conditions like combat or disasters but also delivers high usability and storage stability.
“Until now, patch-type hemostatic agents widely used in medical fields have had limitations due to their flat structure and sensitivity to temperature and humidity.”
They cannot withstand pressure applied to the wound. Also, current powders that stop blood flow have limited functionality by physically absorbing blood to form a barrier, according to the study published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.
“The new AGCL powder reacts with cations, such as calcium in the blood, to turn into a gel state in one second, instantly sealing the wound,” said study co-leader Professor Steve Park.
“Furthermore, by forming a three-dimensional structure inside the powder, it can absorb blood amounting to more than seven times its own weight.”
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“It shows superior sealing performance compared to commercial hemostatic agents—with a high adhesive strength and a level of pressure that can withstand being pressed strongly by hand.”
AGCL powder is composed entirely of naturally derived materials with an antibacterial effect of 99.9%.
It has a structure that combines biocompatible natural materials such as alginate and gellan gum—that react with calcium for fast gelation and physical sealing—and chitosan, which bonds with blood components to enhance chemical and biological hemostasis.
“In animal experiments, excellent tissue-regeneration effects, such as rapid wound recovery and promotion of blood vessel and collagen regeneration, were confirmed,” explained Prof. Park.
“In surgical liver injury experiments, the amount of bleeding and hemostasis time were significantly reduced compared to commercial methods.”
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“It also maintains its performance for two years, even in room temperature and high humidity environments, possessing the advantage of being ready for immediate use in harsh environments.
“Although this is an advanced new material technology developed with national defense purposes in mind,” said Major Park, “it has great potential for emergency medicine, disaster sites, developing countries, and medically underserved areas.”
“I started the research with a sense of mission to save even one more soldier—but I also hope this technology will be used as a life-saving technology in private medical fields.”
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