HbO2 Therapeutics

HbO2 Therapeutics is a Pennsylvania-based company focused on developing hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) as blood substitutes. Their primary product, Hemopure, is a polymerized bovine hemoglobin solution designed to transport oxygen throughout the body. Hemopure remains stable at room temperature for at least three years, offering significant advantages over traditional blood storage. The company produces Hemopure by extracting hemoglobin from cow blood, purifying it, and polymerizing it to an optimal molecular size that balances efficacy and safety.

Hemopure has been used in South Africa since 2001. In the US, Hemopure has been administered through the FDA's expanded access program to patients for whom blood transfusions are not an option, such as Jehovah's Witnesses. Approximately 2,000 human subjects worldwide had been treated with Hemopure. HbO2 Therapeutics is also exploring additional applications for Hemopure, including its use as an organ perfusate for transplantation. In October 2017, the company announced the first successful transplant of a liver previously deemed unsuitable that had been treated with Hemopure.

Key customers and partnerships

HbO2 Therapeutics has collaborated with several medical institutions to advance the development and application of Hemopure. The company partnered with the University Medical Centre Groningen in the Netherlands for a liver transplant using Hemopure as an organ perfusate. In 2018, HbO2 Therapeutics planned a larger clinical trial for liver transplants using Hemopure at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, UK. Additionally, the company has been working with the Spanish National Centre for Cardiovascular Research to explore Hemopure's potential in reducing damage from heart attacks. These partnerships demonstrate HbO2 Therapeutics' efforts to expand the applications of their technology beyond its initial use as a blood substitute.