Seoul, October 29, 2024 – Imagine a spray that stops life-threatening bleeding in just one second. It sounds like science fiction, but a new powder hemostatic agent developed by researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of science and Technology (KAIST) is making that a reality, possibly revolutionizing battlefield medicine and emergency care.
A One-Second solution to Stop the Bleed
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This innovative powder reacts instantly with blood to form a powerful gel, offering a rapid response to severe injuries.
Excessive bleeding is a leading cause of death from injuries, particularly in wartime. A research team at KAIST, including an Army major, directly addressed this critical need, creating a next-generation hemostatic agent poised to dramatically improve survival rates. “The core of modern warfare is minimizing human loss,” explained Gyu-sun Park, a KAIST doctoral student and Army major involved in the research. “I started the research with a sense of mission to save at least one more soldier.”
The KAIST team,led by Professor Steve Park of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Professor Sang-Yong Jeon of the Department of Life Sciences,announced the breakthrough on October 29th. Their powder-type hemostatic agent overcomes the limitations of existing patch-type agents, which can be difficult to apply to deep or complex wounds and are sensitive to temperature and humidity.
Designed for Real-World Scenarios
the Army major’s participation was instrumental in refining the technology for practical use in demanding combat environments. The agent’s usability and storability are key advantages, allowing for immediate emergency treatment even in extreme conditions. It hardens instantly, making it ideal for battles and disaster sites.
Previous powder hemostatic agents relied on physically absorbing blood to create a barrier, which proved insufficient in many cases. The KAIST team took a different approach, focusing on the ionic reactions within blood itself.
The resulting ‘AGCL powder‘ combines biocompatible natural materials – alginate, gellan gum, and chitosan – in a unique structure. Gellan gum reacts with calcium to produce ultra-fast gelation and physical sealing, while chitosan enhances chemical and biological hemostasis. This combination reacts with positive ions like calcium in the blood, transforming into a gel in just one second and instantly sealing the wound.
Superior Performance and Safety
The powder’s three-dimensional structure allows it to absorb blood up to 7 times it’s own weight (725%). It effectively blocks blood flow even under high pressure. Tests showed it outperformed commercial hemostatic agents,exhibiting an adhesive strength exceeding 40kPa – enough to withstand notable manual pressure.
Importantly, AGCL powder is composed entirely of natural substances, demonstrating a high level of safety. it exhibited a hemolysis rate of less than 3%, a cell survival rate of over 99%, and a 99.9% antibacterial effect. Animal experiments confirmed excellent tissue regeneration, promoting rapid wound recovery and blood vessel/collagen regeneration.
In surgical liver injury experiments, the AGCL powder significantly reduced bleeding volume and hemostasis time compared to existing commercial agents. Liver function returned to normal levels two weeks post-surgery, and systemic toxicity evaluations revealed no adverse findings.
The agent also boasts notable stability, maintaining its performance for two years even in room temperature and high humidity. This durability makes it suitable for use in harsh environments like military operation sites and disaster zones.
This research represents a cutting-edge advancement in materials technology with significant national defense implications. However, its potential extends far beyond the battlefield, offering benefits for emergency medical services in disaster areas, developing countries, and underserved communities.
The development is considered a successful example of “spin-off” technology – the application of defense science and technology to the private sector – bridging the gap between battlefield first aid and complex internal surgical procedures.
The research earned recognition for its scientific innovation and national defense utility, receiving the 2025 KAIST Q-day President’s Award and the 2024 KAIST-KNDU National Defense Academic Conference’s Minister of National Defense Award.
Park added, “We hope that this technology will be used as a life-saving technology in national defense and civilian medical fields.”
The study, titled “An Ionic Gelation Powder for Ultrafast Hemostasis and Accelerated Wound Healing,” was led by Professors Steve Park and Sang-yong Jeon, with contributions from KAIST doctoral student Kyu-sun Park and Young-joo Son, a combined master’s and doctoral student. It was published online on October 28 in ‘Advanced Functional Materials’, a leading international academic journal in chemical and materials engineering.
