Waltham biotech’s injectable foam saves first life in clinical trial

An injectable foam product designed to function like a human “fix-a-flat” and developed by a Waltham biotech company has already saved a life while still in clinical trials.

In its first use on a badly injured patient, Arsenal Medical’s ResQFoam saved a 34-year-old man after a car crash sent him to a trauma center with no detectable blood pressure and a weak pulse. 

Ronald Farms told CBS Boston that he had a near-death experience after his car flipped upside down. He was suffering from severe abdominal bleeding and lacerations to his liver and kidney, as well as a ruptured spleen, when he got to a hospital in Alabama. ResQFoam is currently undergoing clinical evaluation at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

In trauma from motor vehicle accidents, gunshots and falls, mortality for patients increases for every minute that passes without bleeding control. Studies show that as many as 50% of deaths from abdominal trauma are preventable in both civilian and battlefield settings, according to Arsenal, which is located at 100 Beaver St. in Waltham.

ResQFoam consists of two liquids injected into the abdomen using a hand-operated delivery system. When combined, these liquids create a foam that rapidly expands throughout the abdomen to control bleeding. This foam is designed to allow the patient time to reach potentially life-saving surgery, where the solidified foam is removed and the underlying injury repaired.

Farms survived his ordeal and was ultimately discharged from the hospital.

ResQFoam received initial funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and subsequently the U.S. Army to address battlefield trauma, where abdominal bleeding is a leading cause of death. 

The efficacy and safety of ResQFoam have been studied extensively in preclinical models, and the Food and Drug Administration has designated it a breakthrough device, according to the company.

Arsenal also is developing a product called NeoCast, designed to treat bleeding in the brain from conditions such as subdural hematomas and tumors.

A chronic subdural hematoma is a type of persistent bleeding that accumulates on the brain’s surface, often resulting from a fall or trauma to the head. The accumulated blood can put pressure on the brain and is a significant problem in the elderly.

NeoCast is designed to be injected and block blood flow within the artery and branching vessels that supply the hematoma.

Arsenal Medical was founded in 2005 by entrepreneur-investor Carmichael Roberts and two academics, Robert Langer and George Whitesides, experts in materials science and chemistry. The company has raised a total of $85 million from institutional investors.