Internal hemorrhage is the foremost cause of death on the battlefield and the second leading cause of death in civilian trauma. While there are multiple products available to treat external hemorrhage, no product has been developed that can target and control internal hemorrhage. The development of a biocompatible nanoparticle carrier that can deliver thrombin, a coagulation protein, to the site of internal injury is currently being researched. Porous polymer nanoparticles are fabricated through the radical polymerization of monomers in a solution containing thrombin. Targeting peptide sequences, also known as protease degradable cross-linkers, such as the IEGR sequence, can be incorporated into the nanoparticle shell in varying concentrations. This can influence the targeting ability and the rate at which the particle will degrade. Non-protease degradable cross-linkers are also incorporated in order to create control particles. Progress towards nanoparticle formation and drug delivery will be discussed in detail.

Protein nanocapsules as biocompatible carriers for the targeted delivery of coagulation proteins to sites of internal injury

245th National Meeting (2013)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.