Medcura Secures $4M from the DoD to Revolutionize Battlefield Hemostats

Medcura’s breakthrough biopolymer technologies are redefining hemostasis.

LifeGel™, our beachhead product, is on the path to become a highly effective hemostatic agent for spine surgery.

Hydrophobically modified chitosan, the key component in LifeGel's hemostatic action, has applications far beyond spine surgery. Our biomaterials scientists are developing hemostatic agents for treating non-compressible wounds in military and acute trauma situations —LifeDust™, LifeFoam™, and LifePutty™.

The United States Department of Defense has taken notice, investing $4 million in Medcura’s work to continue the development of LifeDust for the treatment of non-compressible hemorrhage on the battlefield. LifeDust, an expanding powder, is designed to address injuries of this type through expansion upon wetting, followed by hemostasis of injured tissue.

“Over 80% of hemorrhage-related deaths are due to non-compressible hemorrhage, which is traumatic bleeding that cannot be addressed by direct pressure with a gauze or tourniquet. A good example of non-compressible hemorrhage would be a shrapnel injury in the abdomen, where the rate of bleeding is profuse and the source is difficult to identify” says CSO Matthew Dowling, PhD. “LifeDust is designed to treat these injury types through rapid expansion of a soft material within these traumatically injured body cavities. Our goal is to save lives on the battlefield.”

“Uncontrolled hemorrhage is the leading cause of death in military and trauma-related fatalities,” says Medcura CEO Jim Buck. “We will deploy the DoD funding to innovate hemostasis solutions for addressing traumatic combat injuries. We believe the tremendous versatility of our core biopolymer innovation will lead to medics and surgeons having more options for treating future battlefield wounds in the field of engagement.”

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Disclaimer

LifeGel™, LifeDust™, LifeFoam™, and LifePutty™ and their associated application accessories are currently in development. All intended uses and/or indications for use for this medical device and its application tips have not been cleared or approved by the FDA.