KaloCyte, Inc.

KaloCyte, Inc., a pre-clinical stage healthcare biotech startup company, located at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) as an Affiliate of the UM BioPark. KaloCyte’s offices and labs are sited within the UM School of Medicine’s Center for Blood Oxygen Transport and Hemostasis (CBOTH) directed by Allan Doctor, MD (KaloCyte Co-Founder and CSO). KaloCyte was founded in 2016 by a distinguished team of Washington University in St. Louis researchers in physiology, bioengineering, and trauma care, with support from the BioGenerator Fundamentals program. KaloCyte has demonstrated proof of concept for ErythroMer, a dried, bio-inspired artificial red blood cell envisioned for use when stored red blood cells are unavailable, undesirable or in short supply. KaloCyte is supported by $7.5M in federal awards and $2.5M investor funding.

ErythroMer is a first-in-class, bio-inspired nanoparticle-encapsulated human hemoglobin, which mimics the vital oxygen-carrying functionality of RBCs and can be freeze-dried for long-term storage. Erythromer’s synthetic outer membrane, donut-shape and surface area allow for physiologically realistic gas exchange. The synthetic polymer shell is “immune-silent”, inert and carries no blood antigens, eliminating the need to type and cross-match as with stored blood. ErythroMer can be freeze-dried or “lyophilized”, for a much longer shelf life than stored blood. It is covered by issued U.S. patents that specify composition of matter, method of preparation, and use as an oxygen carrier.