DARPA's powdered blood succeeds in animals but faces regulatory and manufacturing hurdles

DARPA's powdered blood substitute has worked in lab and animal tests, and the agency is seeking partners to pursue FDA review and address manufacturing and economic hurdles toward possible battlefield use by 2029.

DARPA's FSHARP effort has produced a shelf-stable powdered blood substitute that officials say has shown success in laboratory and animal tests. The powder is stored apart from sterile water in dual-chamber bags so it can be mixed just before use. Military leaders and program officials cite concerns about blood availability in future deployments as a reason for the work. DARPA is now seeking partners and planning regulatory engagement to move the effort toward testing in humans and wider production. Key points: - DARPA's FSHARP program reports success in lab and animal studies of a powdered whole-blood product. - The product is packaged in dual-chamber bags that separate powder from water and are designed for field mixing. - Officials say planned actions include finding commercial partners, addressing economic and manufacturing challenges, and pursuing accelerated review with the Food and Drug Administration with an aim toward potential use by 2029. Summary: The program represents a technical step toward a shelf-stable blood option for difficult logistics environments, but it remains in preclinical stages. The immediate focus is regulatory engagement and establishing the commercial and manufacturing conditions needed for clinical testing and scale-up; timelines beyond those planning goals are undetermined at this time.