Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Biotech / Medical : SGNC Sanguine Corp. Info Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: chirodoc who wrote (56)	6/24/1998 2:35:00 AM
From: chirodoc	Respond to of 100

Carl Edward's Personal Home Page ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Email: plxcme@pln1.nott.ac.uk Phone: +44 115 951 5151 8515 Department of Life Science ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Research I am a post-doctoral research assistant working as part of an EC consortium developing perfluorocarbon emulsions for use as intravascular oxygen carriers. Perfluorocarbons are linear, cyclic or poly-cyclic hydrocarbon compounds where all of the hydrogen molecules have been substituted by fluorine. This class of compound shows a particularly high gas solubility and the high stability of the carbon fluorine bond makes them inert. The combination of their gas carrying capacity and their metabolic inertness lends them to use as in vivo gas carriers. Popular images of perfluorocarbons include their use in a 'fluid breathing system' in the James Cameron film 'The Abyss', ironically recent development in the USA have seen oxygenated perfluorocarbon liquids used in the ventilation of neonates. Perfluorocarbons are immiscible with water and need to be emulsified to be used intravascularly, the means of emulsification and the surfactant used appears to be important in modulating the effects of the emulsion, as is the initial droplet size. These emulsions are often referred to as 'blood-substitutes' because they are intended to perform the same function as blood transfusions however, they retain only the oxygen carrying capacity and have none of the functionality of a normal blood transfusion such as clotting factors. Part of the research is to develop in vitro methods for testing novel surfactants for use in emulsion production. Current methods under scrutiny use cultured cells and human blood from healthy volunteers, assays under examination for future use include non-animal systems eg. cells of plant origin . The use of these in vitro methods reduces the screening time for candidate molecules and by pre-screening compounds in this way we reduce the use of animals in final toxicity tests. The final aim of the project is to produce several emulsion formulations for use in differing clinical situations including perfusion of isolated organs before transplantation, use for oxygenation of myocardial muscles distal to percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and as a replacement for crystalloid and colloid infusions in the acute treatment of hypovolemia after trauma.