Developing Nanoparticles That Stop Internal Bleeding

When a person experiences a trauma that leads to significant bleeding, the first few minutes are critical. It’s important that they receive intravenous medication quickly to control the bleeding, but delivering the medication at the right rate can prove challenging. Slower infusions can cause fewer negative reactions, but the medication might not work fast enough, particularly in the case of a serious trauma.

Four UMBC researchers have developed a unique way of modifying the surfaces of nanoparticles within these lifesaving medications to provide infusions that can be delivered more quickly but with a reduced risk of negative reactions.

Infusion reactions can cause a range of symptoms, such as rashes and inflammatory responses. This can include anaphylaxis, a life-threatening respiratory failure. Up until this point, the seriousness of these reactions has limited the use of promising nanomedicines, and reducing the likelihood of adverse reactions could be game-changing.

In a paper published in Nano Letters, Erin Lavik , professor of chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering; Chuck Bieberich, professor of biological sciences; Nuzhat Maisha , Ph.D. ’21, chemical engineering; and Michael Rubenstein, M.S. ’14, Ph.D. ’22, biological sciences, discuss their novel approach to the research. They focused on the core material of the nanoparticles delivered to patients.

“We found that using a polyurethane core reduced the markers associated with infusion reactions,” explains Lavik, who is also the associate dean for research and faculty development in UMBC’s College of Engineering and Information Technology. Currently, seven percent of people experience infusion reactions, the authors note in their paper. “These reactions…limit the treatments available in a substantial portion of patients,” they explain.

“We, like most of the field, have spent a lot of time trying to modify the surfaces of nanoparticles to modulate the reaction,” says

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the world scrambled to develop a data-informed response to the public health emergency. Zoë McLaren , associate professor of public policy, is one researcher who has worked extensively with the media to make sense of these issues for the public.

“My media engagement during the pandemic required me to evaluate new data and provide analysis in real time,” says McLaren, who is also an affiliate of the Health Econometrics and Data Group at York University. As a health economist, she develops rigorous applied statistical approaches to answer important policy questions using real-world data.

In fall 2020, concerns about COVID-19 rapid antigen testing caused contentious debates about their use, accuracy, and reliability in helping to reduce transmission. McLaren was among the earliest and strongest advocates for making them widely available. She explained their benefits and limitations in an article appearing in Fast Company, titled “The key to stopping the coronavirus spread are new tests that prioritize speed over accuracy.”

“I was confident in my analysis despite a lot of hesitancy and pushback from the medical and public health establishments,” says McLaren. “The Fast Company piece has stood the test of time. It’s been gratifying to see my assessment borne out in the real world over the past two years. Rapid tests aren’t perfect, but they are very powerful.”

Author and science enthusiast Bill Nye agreed, inviting McLaren onto his podcast Science Rules! for the episode “Coronavirus: Everything You Could Possibly Want to Know About Testing.”

Once tests were readily available, McLaren wrote an article for The Conversation explaining when to use at-home COVID-19 tests, which was read more than 225,000 times.

Lavik. She shares that while that approach does help to a degree, going a step further by changing the core material appears to have a greater impact.

This research lays the groundwork for future testing of preclinical models using nanocapsules to stop internal bleeding.

Lavik explains that collaboration was an important element of this work, especially being able to conduct the research in UMBC’s Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building. – Megan Hanks Mastrola

In May 2021, McLaren wrote “One-SizeFits-All Mask Guidance Isn’t Going to Work Anymore” for WIRED, advocating against relying too heavily on masks only and instead encouraging innovation in a wider range of tools for COVID-19 detection and protection. The article included creative ways to boost vaccination rates and the use of opt-in vaccination verification systems and rapid antigen testing.

McLaren’s New York Times guest essay, “The Math That Explains the End of the Pandemic,” helped explain the underlying dynamics of COVID-19 transmission and brought clarity to the next phase of this public health crisis. She continues her work to develop innovative, datadriven policy solutions to help the country and the world move forward safely.

– Catalina Sofia Dansberger Duque