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Heparin remains in high demand in the United States, with more than 300,000 doses used daily. The blood thinner, which has been widely used since the 1930s, saves lives by preventing potentially fatal blood clots and reducing the amount of time patients with kidney failure stay on dialysis machines. However, controversy surrounds the medication and companies are quickly working on alternatives.
Recently, we reported about the development of synthetic heparin as a safer alternative to today’s heparin, which is manufactured from the intestines of animals. The work is a project of Robert Linhardt, a professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. Recently, Linhardt presented information about his work on the synthetic heparin, as well as findings in a new project using heparin to create a “paper battery,” at the NanoBioTech forum.
Robert Linhardt, a scientist at Troy, New York-based Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is leading a team of researchers who have developed a fully synthetic version of the blood thinner heparin. While the group has only produced a few milligrams of the substance, it is the first step in eliminating the risk of contamination currently associated with the drug, which is manufactured primarily from pig intestines.
