image: This is a schematic of the microparticle used to package oxygen gas, covered by a single layer of fatty molecules and stabilizing agents and delivered in a liquid solution. When a microparticle comes in contact with a red blood cell lacking oxygen, oxygen is released and binds to the cell within milliseconds. The particle's lipid shell breaks down and is metabolized by the body. This image relates to a paper that appeared in the June 27, 2012 issue of Science Translational Medicine, published by AAAS. The paper, by Dr. J.N, Kheir at Children’s Hospital Boston in Boston, Mass., and colleagues, was titled, "Oxygen Gas-Filled Microparticles Provide Intravenous Oxygen Delivery." view more
Credit: Image concept by J. Kheir; Illustration by E. McIntosh and E. Harris