New study on the size-dependent efficacy of hemostatic nanoparticles

ISN-affiliated MIT researchers led by Prof. Paula Hammond and Prof. Brad Olsen working with physicians from Massachusetts General Hospital have completed the first systematic study of the role played by size on the efficacy of hemostatic nanoparticles. Knowledge gained through this study could lead to more effective treatments for problematic conditions including internal bleeding due to trauma.
A cartoon of a blood vessel

A new analysis offers guidance on the size of nanoparticles that could be most effective at stopping internal bleeding. Image: Christine Daniloff, MIT

A schematic of an experiment to evaluate the efficacy of various particle sizes in effecting hemostasis

Summary of In Vitro Experimental Results for Particle Sizes to Be Tested in the Lethal Injury Model — Sub-100-nm nanoparticles resulted in the greatest number of specifically bound platelets under flow, intermediate-sized nanoparticles resulted in the greatest number of platelets in a platelet–particle surface aggregate, and the largest particles resulted in the greatest polymer mass accumulation onto platelet–particle surface aggregates. Adapted from Biorender. Image: Celestine Hong, Osaid Alser, Anthony Gebran, Yanpu He, Wontae Joo, Nikolaos Kokoroskos, George Velmahos, Bradley D. Olsen, and Paula T. Hammond, ACS Nano 2022 16 (2), 2494-2510.