# US military’s race to make fake blood > DARPA aims to create shelf-stable synthetic blood by 2029 to save lives in combat zones. - Title: US military’s race to make fake blood · MIT Technology Review - Summary: DARPA aims to create shelf-stable synthetic blood by 2029 to save lives in combat zones. DARPA’s RAPIID program seeks to develop synthetic blood components… - Keywords: dara, rapiid, synthetic blood, plasma, platelets, red blood cells, hemoglobin, blood transfusion, military, fsharp, kaloocyte, synthoplate - Source: MIT Technology Review — https://technologyreview.com/2026/10/14/1145807/us-military-race-to-make-fake-blood - Read time: 2 min - Topics: dara, rapiid, synthetic blood, plasma, platelets, red blood cells, hemoglobin, blood transfusion, military, fsharp, kaloocyte, synthoplate ## Morphine 1-2 helicopter crash In February 2007, a military helicopter carrying wounded soldiers was shot down in Baghdad, killing all seven crew members. > It was getting blood and bringing it back. It was [on] what we call a ‘blood run,’ and [it’s] the highest of priorities besides casualty evacuation ## Blood shortage crisis Military and civilian blood shortages cause 10,000 preventable US deaths yearly and millions globally. > A study published in Transfusion in 2: 2025 found that of 1.2 million trauma patients in the United States who potentially needed blood before reaching a hospital, just 1% received it. ## Blood storage challenges Whole blood lasts 35 days when refrigerated, but platelets spoil within days and red blood cells require freezing. > Hospitals and the military freeze the red blood cells that carry oxygen, as well as the protein-rich plasma that restores volume and aids coagulation. Once thawed, though, both will spoil within days. ## 36-minute survival window A JAMA study suggests 36 minutes is the critical window for blood transfusion after injury to prevent death. > If something is survivable, and generally we classify most all hemorrhage as survivable, [you’re] almost guaranteed to survive if you get the blood before that 36-minute mark ## DARPA’s RAPIID program DARPA’s $73 million RAPIID program aims to create shelf-stable synthetic blood components by 2029. > Its goal is to create shelf-stable versions of the three major transfusion constituents: plasma, platelets, and red blood cells. ## FSHARP program DARPA’s FSHARP program, launched in 2023, tested synthetic blood components in animals with promising results. > FSHARP furthered that work, helping fund studies on how the HBOC interacted with plasma and platelets. ## ErythroMer synthetic plasma KaloCyte’s ErythroMer uses freeze-dried hemoglobin to create synthetic plasma that lasts two years. > Using a well-understood process called lyophilization, similar to one that World War II, era scientists used with plasma, the team freeze-dries its product to store at room temperature, where it can remain stable for two years. ## SynthoPlate synthetic platelets SynthoPlate mimics natural platelets with peptides that stick to blood vessels and help clot. > The first version has three: One binds to a chemical called von Willebrand factor, which helps platelets stick to the walls of injured blood vessels; another attaches to collagen, which acts as a scaffold for regrowing cells; and the third mimics a blood protein called fibrinogen. ## Hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers Hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) were tested in the 1990s but caused heart attacks and deaths in clinical trials. > One, named HemAssist, consisted of hemoglobin subunits linked together to avoid the rapid-breakdown problem. It had the added benefit of lasting roughly a year in cold storage (red blood cells last about 40 days), but it didn’t solve the nitric oxide problem, so it constricted blood vessels. ## Blood pharming challenges Lab-grown blood cells are expensive and require refrigeration, making them impractical for field use. > DARPA launched a pharming initiative in 2008, using stem cells from discarded umbilical-cord blood, but was unable to get the cost below tens of thousands of dollars per unit of red blood cells. ## Okinawa blood bank vulnerability A single blood bank on Okinawa serves 27,000 Marines and could be destroyed by a missile strike. > The blood center is right next to the hospital, which is about 200 meters from all of the satellite communications on that island. ## 2018 National Defense Strategy The 2018 National Defense Strategy shifted military focus to potential ground wars with China or Russia. > DARPA then got serious once again about making fake blood and kicked off the FSHARP program in 2023. ## RAPIID timeline RAPIID aims to deploy synthetic blood components by 2029 after three years of testing. > The second and third years will focus on human trials, overseen by the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. ## FDA regulatory hurdles Synthetic blood products must pass FDA animal studies before human trials. > Each contractee working on blood components has only one year of guaranteed funding. ## Potential risks of synthetic blood Synthetic blood products may interact poorly with each other or cause heart attacks. > They need to make a very concerted effort to take what they’ve already developed and push it through to approval through the FDA ## 2029 deadline DARPA aims to deliver synthetic blood components to the field by 2029. > Even if FSHARP failed, “we should invest 50 million more dollars in it and do it again.” ## Key takeaway DARPA’s RAPIID program seeks to develop synthetic blood components that last longer than natural blood, potentially saving lives in battlefield emergencies by 2029.