Not enough donors
A lack of donors creates a demand that exceeds supply. The American Red Cross has declared an emergency blood shortage.
Innovation that
Fuels Life.
Synfera looks beyond human hemoglobin, to erythrocruorin, the extracellular hemoglobin of annelids, to build an oxygen carrier that stays stable outside of red blood cells.
- 51%
- of US blood banks have a two-day supply or less
- 2,000,000
- hemorrhaging deaths every year
An urgent problem
Blood is perishable, donor-dependent and blood-type restricted, and it is rarely available where bleeding patients need it most.
Read about the problemWhy blood runs out
Three constraints on today's blood supply.
A short shelf life
Donated blood components last a limited time, and only under refrigerated storage conditions.
Blood types complicate delivery
Issues with biocompatibility require typing and crossmatching before blood can be given.
The science
Inside the platformErythrocruorin: a hemoglobin built to work outside the cell.
For decades, hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers failed because human hemoglobin is unstable outside of red blood cells. Erythrocruorin, the extracellular hemoglobin of annelids, already carries oxygen in circulation without a cell around it.
Newsroom
All updatesLatest from Synfera
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Questions, feedback or partnership inquiries.
Reach the Synfera team directly at business@synfera.ca.