Oxygen-Generating Materials

When tissues in the body are deprived of oxygen, the irreversible process of tissue death begins. For military personnel, this can occur when blast injuries damage blood vessels and interrupt the blood supply to the arms or legs. Scientists at the Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) are working on a way to temporarily provide oxygen to muscle tissue and keep it alive.

Research Significance

With limb salvage, the particles, in the form of an injectable gel, could potentially slow muscle death until a surgeon can operate and restore the blood supply.

Research Approach and Goals

The goal of this project is to develop a treatment that medics could carry with them as a way to buy time and provide a temporary burst of oxygen until a patient could get medical treatment.

Research Highlights and Innovation

Institute scientists are using safe, natural chemicals that generate oxygen in a variety of projects—from a treatment to promote limb salvage to incorporating the particles into organ scaffolds.