{"id":373472,"date":"2026-04-03T19:39:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T19:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/373472\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T19:39:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T19:39:07","slug":"injectable-microgel-developed-to-reduce-bleeding-in-infants-undergoing-surgery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/373472\/","title":{"rendered":"Injectable Microgel Developed to Reduce Bleeding in Infants Undergoing Surgery"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Scientists<\/a>Credit: sanjeri \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Biomedical researchers headed by a team at the Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill\/North Carolina State University, have developed an injectable microgel to help reduce bleeding in infants who require surgical care. Tests in an animal model showed that the hemostatic microgels, known as B-knob-triggered microgels (BK-TriGs), reduced bleeding by at least 50%.<\/p>\n

Research lead Ashley Brown, PhD, who is the Lampe Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering, is co-corresponding author of the team\u2019s published paper in Science Advances, titled \u201cHemostatic B-knob-triggered microgels (BK-TriGs) to address bleeding in neonates<\/a>.\u201d In their paper the team concluded \u201cThis study highlights the potential of BK-TriGs, designed for neonatal-specific clotting mechanisms, to address the heightened bleeding and thrombosis risks in neonates, who face 4.4 times higher postsurgery mortality \u2026 Our findings support BK-TriGs as a promising approach for improving hemostasis in neonates, offering a tailored, effective solution for this vulnerable patient population.\u201d<\/p>\n

When adults cut themselves, a multi-step process called hemostasis stops the bleeding from the injured blood vessel. But hemostasis in infants is different from hemostasis in adults. This difference can be problematic if infants require surgery to address significant medical problems. In surgeries, neonatal patients normally receive blood from adult donors to compensate for blood lost during the operation. \u201cCurrent treatments rely on transfusing adult blood products, which may cause complications resulting from structural and functional differences between neonatal and adult fibrinogen,\u201d the authors wrote. \u201c\u2026 these transfusions pose serious safety concerns by increasing morbidity, prolonging intensive care unit stays, and elevating posttransfusion thrombosis risks in neonates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown noted, \u201c\u2026 if you give adult blood to an infant, the difference in adult hemostasis versus infant hemostasis can lead to too much clotting. That can increase the likelihood of thrombosis, where blood clots form in the lungs or elsewhere and put the baby at risk \u2026 \u201cMy research team has done a lot of work on surgery-related bleeding in newborns, and we wanted to develop a therapeutic intervention that would reduce bleeding and\u2014by extension\u2014reduce the need for infants to receive adult blood transfusions during surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n

The scientists have now reported on their development of a material called B-knob triggered microgels (BK-TriGs). \u201cFibrin is the main clotting protein in human blood,\u201d Brown explains. \u201cThere is a short amino acid sequence called a \u2018B peptide\u2019 that links together fibrin molecules to create blood clots where they are needed\u2014and these B peptides play a particularly important role in hemostasis for infants. The BK-TriGs are engineered particles that are studded with those B peptides.\u201d<\/p>\n

The particles can absorb water and become squishy hydrogels, which mimic the mechanical properties of natural platelets in a way that maximizes the ability of the B peptides to create fibrin networks and stanch bleeding. \u201cFunctionalized with a fibrin hole b\u2013specific peptide, BK-TriGs enhance clot density and resistance to degradation,\u201d the team noted.<\/p>\n

The researchers first tested the BK-TriGs by using microfluidic devices that allowed them to conduct in vitro testing to see how the microgels affected clotting in blood plasma from human adults and infants. \u201cIn vitro studies using neonatal platelet-poor plasma (PPP) showed that at an optimal concentration, BK-TriGs increased clot density by more than 100% and improved stability by reducing fibrinolysis,\u201d they wrote in summary. \u201cUnder flow conditions BK-TriGs promoted robust clot formation compared to plasma-only controls.\u201d Brown noted, \u201cWe found that BK-TriGs worked better at improving blood clotting in infant plasma than in adult plasma, which was what we expected to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

To further test the efficacy of the BK-TriGs, the researchers worked with lab mice that were genetically engineered to not make fibrinogen, the precursor to fibrin. This allowed the researchers to first introduce infant fibrinogen into the lab mice so that the mice exhibit a form of hemostasis similar to infants. \u201cThis innovative model enabled the evaluation of BK-TriGs in a setting that replicates key aspects of neonatal fibrinogen polymerization and fibrinolytic sensitivity, providing preliminary insights into their potential clinical utility.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown added, \u201cWe found that the BK-TriGs outperformed any of the other options we tested at reducing blood loss. Specifically, the BK-TriGs reduced blood loss by 50-60% compared to the control group.\u201d<\/p>\n

The authors further stated, \u201cThe findings highlight the potential of BK-TriGs as a promising synthetic platelet-mimetic approach for enhancing clot density and stability, particularly in neonatal plasma where traditional blood products may pose risks \u2026 A fibrin-targeted approach like BK-TriGs, which enhances clot formation without introducing systemic thrombotic risk, may offer a safer alternative to adult fibrinogen transfusions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next steps for the work are to see how BK-TriGs compare to other hemostatic therapeutics that are on the market, either on their own or when used in conjunction with BK-TriGs. \u201cThe results we\u2019re reporting here are exciting, but we are still far removed from clinical use,\u201d Brown, acknowledged. \u201cWe need to make sure there are no unforeseen risks associated with blood clotting.\u201d The team also commented, \u201cExpanding this research to include different clinical bleeding scenarios will be essential to advancing these materials toward therapeutic applications.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is particularly relevant in neonates, where the most severe bleeding complications often arise in critical sites such as the gastrointestinal tract and the brain,\u201d Brown continued, \u201cBut if we do find BK-TriGs are safe and effective, we\u2019re optimistic this could be a cost-effective way to make surgery safer for infants. Manufacturing the BK-TriG particles would be relatively inexpensive\u2014certainly in comparison to blood products.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Credit: sanjeri \/ Getty Images Biomedical researchers headed by a team at the Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":373473,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[85,46,43,141,3171,8351],"class_list":{"0":"post-373472","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-il","9":"tag-israel","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-science","12":"tag-topics","13":"tag-translational-medicine"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=373472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373472\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/373473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=373472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=373472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=373472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}