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May 15, 2008 7:07 pm US/Eastern
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Crabs Move From Dinner Table To Battlefield
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (WJZ) ―
Chesapeake crabs and people most often come together over backyard tables. But soon crabs might play a part on the operating tables, as well as the battlefield.
Alex DeMetrick reports crabs could jump from being dinner to being lifesavers.
The golden hour that separates life from death most often involves trauma and severe blood loss.
It's becoming clear that thick liquid might buy more time.
"Treating severe injuries. We've shown bandages of this material are able to stop extreme bleeding injuries," said Matthew Dowling, UM graduate student.
Dowling is the young CEO of a small company developing that blood clotting chemical while working with University of Maryland researchers, physicians and crabs.
They treat discarded crab shells, and the enzyme chitosan is extracted.
"It has the ability to interact with tissue and to actually stop bleeding, and that's been shown for companies who make the hemostatic bandage that's used in Iraq right now," said Dr. Greg Payne, UM Biotech Institute.
In combat, it has two weaknesses. It falls off wounds and it's expensive.
Still, ingredients being added at the University of Maryland enhance chitosan's adhesive qualities.
Early testing indicates the tweaked chitosan could see use first in operating rooms to help close surgeries and later on the street. That could help make crabs lifesavers.
The formula devised at the University of Maryland would normally undergo years of testing before it could be approved for people, but because that crab shell enzyme is already in use, that could speed up the process.
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