Grant: Foundation Grant

Uncontrolled bleeding is a leading cause of death in Canada and worldwide, particularly in young healthy adults. While there are a range of therapies for stopping blood flow, they are still ineffective in the most severe cases of hemorrhage. My research program aims to develop new therapeutics that can be used in severe bleeding, by exploring novel mechanisms that could explain why current therapeutics are ineffective in these scenarios. Specifically, we will investigate three possible approaches; 1) Improve the penetration of blood clotting agents to wounds using delivery vehicles that can move against blood flow, which otherwise washes away factors that promote clotting, 2) Increase the ability of platelets to induce clotting, as these cell are first-wave responders that naturally help blood clot, and 3) Increase the strength by which blood clots adhere to injured blood vessels. Each strategy is based on biochemical insights and drug delivery techniques that my lab has already developed, and the research program will focus on applying these techniques to understanding and treating severe bleeding. My lab is uniquely poised to address this issue due to our extensive experience in both blood biochemistry and biomedical engineering, as well as the extensive support we have received from clinicians and the industry, which will allow us to translate laboratory findings into the clinic. The short-term goal of this program is to identify limiting factors that prevent the successful treatment of severe bleeding with current therapeutics, and then use these insights to develop novel technologies that enhance blood clotting. In the long-term, this program will lead to new clinical tools for treating severe bleeding, and has the potential to reduce death and related complications from uncontrolled bleeding in Canada and abroad.