KaloCyte: A Biotech Developing a Universal, First-of-Its-Kind Blood Substitute

In the United States, as many as 31,000 people bleed to death from injuries that they could have survived. In fact, traumatic injury is the leading cause of death in children and adults under 45. 

This is because of a critical need for stored blood products. Although roughly 118.5 million blood donations are collected globally each year, blood is often unavailable in life-threatening situations. This is because blood components are highly perishable, require refrigeration, and are generally unavailable outside the hospital. 

There can also be immune response complications due to mismatched blood types, supply shortages due to mass casualty events – and a general high demand that is almost impossible for donors to keep up with. Having blood components available as early as possible greatly improves survivability and outcomes. 

In order to address this unmet need, KaloCyte are developing a first-of-its-kind artificial red blood cell (RBC) substitute that works on patients universally and can be used when blood is in short supply, giving patients an additional lifeline that hasn’t previously existed.  

Currently at the late pre-clinical stage, the biotech company is soon to advance first-in-human trials following recent investments.  Below, we’ve outlined the company’s mission and the team behind it, as well as their innovative blood substitute that hopes to save millions of lives from trauma and unintentional injuries.  

KaloCyte and their mission  

KaloCyte is a healthcare biotech headquartered in Maryland that is developing a unique, artificial RBC substitute that can be used in the absence of stored blood. They are currently at a late pre-clinical stage but are planning to progress towards first-in-human studies within the next year or two.  

Their mission is to develop a solution for when blood is not an option. With blood loss being the leading cause of preventable death after traumatic injury (not even first responders can carry it because its perishable and type-specific), the company is determined to develop an alternative that can be used on any patient needing a lifesaving, emergency transfusion.  

Their answer to this problem is ErythroMer, and if it is successful, it will provide crucial transfusions outside of medical settings, often at the point of injury. That means giving vital blood supplies to patients who have just been pulled from car crashes, are bleeding out far from any hospital, or are even travelling in an ambulance on the way to the emergency department.  

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Their lead product: ErythroMer™

ErythroMer is an inspired product that is the closest researchers have come to developing a suitable alternative to RBCs.  

Essentially, the product is designed to mimic exactly what our red blood cells do: carry oxygen from the lungs to our organs and tissues. While the concept might sound relatively straight forward on paper, creating something that accurately replicates the oxygen-carrying functions of human blood is one of the greatest challenges in trauma medicine.  

So, how has KaloCyte’s technology brought us so close to achieving this feat?  

ErythroMer is made up of human hemoglobin (a protein in RBCs that transports oxygen) encased in soft nanoparticle shells. At just 200 nanometers in size, these particles are considerably smaller than platelets, RBCs, and white blood cells – making them highly efficient in carrying oxygen.  

Designed to be shelf stable for up to two years, ErythroMer is freeze-dried and can be stored at ambient temperatures. Unlike normal blood which is quick to perish and requires cold chain storage, ErythroMer can be kept at room temperature.  

The product needs just five minutes to mix with sterile water before it’s ready for transfusion, making it highly efficient in emergency situations. It also works universally on patients of all blood types, which eliminates the risk of any immune complications and makes it even quicker to use in life-threatening situations.  

The team behind KaloCyte  

KaloCyte was founded by a remarkable team of researchers across physiology, bioengineering, and trauma care. Their four key leaders are working harder than ever to bring ErythroMer to the market. 

Our Senior Director of sales enablement, Glenn Southam, sat down with Dr. Allan Doctor, Elaine Haynes, Dr. Philip Spinella, and Dr. Dipanjan Pan to discuss their reason for founding KaloCyte as well as their journey developing ErythroMer.  

These interviews are due to be published over the coming weeks. Once uploaded, the full episodes will be linked below:

• Episode 1: Allan Doctor, MD, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer 
• Episode 2: Elaine Haynes, President and CEO 
• Episode 3: Dipanjan Pan, PhD, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer  
• Episode 4: Philip Spinella, MD, Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer 

Potential Impact

If ErythroMer succeeds in clinical trials and becomes available to the public, it has enormous potential to save lives all over the world.  

As well as filling a significant gap in trauma care and improving survival rates in scenarios where it may not be possible to transfuse blood, ErythroMer will also overcome the two major limitations of traditional donor blood: the need for cold chain storage and type sensitivity.  

With the demand for blood continually rising, KaloCyte’s manufactured RBC alternative could be transformative to both patients and doctors alike. Ultimately, as well as saving people from blood loss on their way to the hospital, ErythroMer may become a go-to lifeline when blood simply isn’t available.  

If you’re in the biotechnology space and looking to expand an important team or take the next pivotal step in your career, please reach out to us today. Our industry experts will be able to get the process started.