NIH grant: GlycoPatch: A Multifunctional Trauma Adhesive (1R01GM160637-01A1)

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NIH grant 1R01GM160637-01A1: GlycoPatch: A Multifunctional Trauma Adhesive
Institute: {'code': 'GM', 'abbreviation': 'NIGMS', 'name': 'National Institute of General Medical Sciences', 'admin_org_id': '12500024', 'admin_funding_url': ''}. PI: STEVEN  MENTZER. Award: $393800.
Start: 2026-08-01T00:00:00.
Project Summary
This proposal aligns with the National Institutes of Health's priority to develop new technologies that address
critical gaps in trauma care; specifically, single-step solutions in resource-limited, rural and point-of-injury
environments. This project aims to develop a multifunctional material, called GlycoPatch, as a solution to life-
threatening traumatic injuries of visceral organs. Composed of pectin, a plant-derived branched-chain
structural heteropolysaccharide, GlycoPatch has two features uniquely suited for extreme trauma care. First,
GlycoPatch is a remarkably strong visceral organ sealant. Likely due to its structural homology with the
mesothelial glycocalyx, GlycoPatch fuses with organ surfaces via polymer-chain entanglement. Chain
entanglements generate rapid adhesion and a wound interface an order of magnitude stronger than existing
sealants. Second, GlycoPatch is a hydrogel with a 3-dimensional network structure that provides a 30% “free
volume.” This free volume can be loaded with bioactives including procoagulants or antibiotics. The applicants'
central hypothesis is that the site-directed delivery of bioactives to a mechanically stable wound interface can
dramatically increase local effectiveness and decrease systemic toxicity. The overall objective is to establish
GlycoPatch as a single-step site-directed platform that can stabilize the wound as well as address the life-
threatening issues including ongoing bleeding or uncontained infection. The applicants will test their hypothesis
with two specific aims. Specific Aim 1 will embed recombinant Factor VIIa, tissue factor (Factor III), and/or
tranexamic acid (TXA) into GlycoPatch and optimize clot kinetics using rotational thromboelastometry. The
applicants will test optimized procoagulants for rapid and durable hemostasis in a staged large-animal
hemorrhage model that mimics escalating Damage Control Surgery (DCS). Specific Aim 2 will evaluate loaded
broad-spectrum antibiotics in modified Kirby–Bauer assays. The applicants will test the efficacy of optimized
anti-bacterials on suture-free sealing, bacterial containment, and tissue regeneration in a murine cecal-
puncture model of polymicrobial contamination. The applicants expect procoagulant-loaded GlycoPatch to
double hemorrhage-control success and halve bleeding, while antibiotic-loaded GlycoPatch is projected to
boost seven-day survival to ≥80 % and reduce ascitic colony counts by ≥1 log. By uniting mechanically robust
adhesion with localized pharmacotherapy in a single, ready-to-use film, GlycoPatch introduces a new class of
trauma therapeutics poised to save lives and diminish the burden of injury.

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