Air Force funds Syracuse professor’s research in preventing bleeding deaths

SYRACUSE — The U.S. Air Force has awarded a Syracuse University professor more than $427,000 for her work in developing a method for preventing bleeding deaths.

Mary Beth Browning Monroe, a professor in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, is developing a first-aid, biocompatible foam that results in rapid blood clotting in large wounds.

The Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program provided the project funding.

Despite advances in medical technology, millions of people around the world still bleed to death after a gunshot wound or “other traumatic injuries,” Syracuse said in a news release. Many of those deaths occur before the victims ever reach a hospital.

“Professor Duncan Maitland first developed this technology at Texas A&M 20 years ago as an aneurysm treatment,” Monroe said in the release. “While working in his lab, my job was to think of new applications for the foam. I was shocked by the number of people who still die from bleeding, so my focus became customizing the foam to treat large wounds, such as [those resulting from] gun shots.”

Monroe’s foam is a shape memory polymer, meaning it can take different shapes when heated, cooled or “manipulated.” Similar in appearance to the sponge in your kitchen sink, Monroe’s foam can be compressed and inserted into “deep, tunneling” wounds. Once implanted, it heats up to body temperature and expands to fill the injury. Its combination of chemistry and porous structure results in rapid clotting and stops the bleeding, Syracuse said.

“I dream that this will become a part of the average first-aid kit — inexpensive, easy-to-use and widely available,” said Monroe. “It could be made available to everyone, no matter where you are or who you are, and prevent a lot of deaths.”

Alternatives similar to Monroe’s solution are available, but “they tend to rely on applying pressure in the wound,” Syracuse said. Her foam not only patches the injury, but also “promotes healing as soon as it is inserted.” 

Monroe is also working on adding other functions for the foam such as a honey-based antimicrobial component to ward off infections and making the foam biodegradable so that it never needs to be removed.

“My goal now is to get the basic formulation out there as quickly as possible,” Monroe said. “I’m gathering the data I need to show that it is safe and effective, including FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) approval. From there, I’ll continue to work on additional capabilities in future generations of the technology.”

Once approved for use, the technology would have “clear” military and commercial applications, Syracuse contends. 

SYRACUSE — The U.S. Air Force has awarded a Syracuse University professor more than $427,000 for her work in developing a method for preventing bleeding deaths.

Mary Beth Browning Monroe, a professor in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, is developing a first-aid, biocompatible foam that results in rapid blood clotting in large wounds.

The Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program provided the project funding.

Despite advances in medical technology, millions of people around the world still bleed to death after a gunshot wound or “other traumatic injuries,” Syracuse said in a news release. Many of those deaths occur before the victims ever reach a hospital.

“Professor Duncan Maitland first developed this technology at Texas A&M 20 years ago as an aneurysm treatment,” Monroe said in the release. “While working in his lab, my job was to think of new applications for the foam. I was shocked by the number of people who still die from bleeding, so my focus became customizing the foam to treat large wounds, such as [those resulting from] gun shots.”

Monroe’s foam is a shape memory polymer, meaning it can take different shapes when heated, cooled or “manipulated.” Similar in appearance to the sponge in your kitchen sink, Monroe’s foam can be compressed and inserted into “deep, tunneling” wounds. Once implanted, it heats up to body temperature and expands to fill the injury. Its combination of chemistry and porous structure results in rapid clotting and stops the bleeding, Syracuse said.

“I dream that this will become a part of the average first-aid kit — inexpensive, easy-to-use and widely available,” said Monroe. “It could be made available to everyone, no matter where you are or who you are, and prevent a lot of deaths.”

Alternatives similar to Monroe’s solution are available, but “they tend to rely on applying pressure in the wound,” Syracuse said. Her foam not only patches the injury, but also “promotes healing as soon as it is inserted.” 

Monroe is also working on adding other functions for the foam such as a honey-based antimicrobial component to ward off infections and making the foam biodegradable so that it never needs to be removed.

“My goal now is to get the basic formulation out there as quickly as possible,” Monroe said. “I’m gathering the data I need to show that it is safe and effective, including FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) approval. From there, I’ll continue to work on additional capabilities in future generations of the technology.”

Once approved for use, the technology would have “clear” military and commercial applications, Syracuse contends.