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Artificial Blood Substitute Companies: 5 Innovators to Watch

4 min read
August 26, 2026
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Artificial Blood Substitute Companies: 5 Innovators to Watch
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TL;DR

  • Artificial blood substitute companies develop products intended to carry or deliver oxygen when donor blood is unavailable or unsuitable.
  • The article profiles HbO2 Therapeutics, Hemarina, Kalocyte, NuvOx Pharma, and Membio across several oxygen-delivery and manufactured-blood approaches.
  • Compare companies by biological approach, intended use, storage, compatibility, safety, development stage, manufacturing scale, and clinical evidence.
  • Scispot helps blood-technology teams manage samples, formulations, protocols, inventory, partners, results, and traceable research workflows in one system.

Artificial Blood Substitutes are compounds used to mimic or enhance the functioning of biological blood. These compounds can improve the oxygen-carrying capacity of the red blood cells in the blood that can be taken orally or injected intravenously and one day potentially serve as a complete replacement for biological blood.

The artificial blood substitute market is on the rise and is expected to grow by USD 7.23 billion from 2021 to 2025.

Here are some of the most innovative artificial blood substitute companies in the world:

Hbo2 Therapeutics

Located in Souderton, Pennsylvania, HbO2 Therapeutics is a leading developer and manufacturer for oxygen-carrying solutions. A class of drug products, when administered intravenously, increases the amount of oxygen transported throughout the body. HbO2 Therapeutics currently offers two products: Hemopure for use in humans and Oxygobin for veterinary use.

Hemarina

Located in Morlaix, France, Hemarina focuses on the R&D of oxygen carriers for medical purposes. Their proprietary platform is based on studying marine worms that live in extreme environments and their respiratory system. Their lead product HbAm is designed to deliver oxygen safely to the tissues that are at risk 

Kalocyte

Located in Baltimore, Maryland, Kalocyte is a pre-clinical stage biotech startup company that is developing artificial red blood cell substitutes for trauma care.

Their leading product ErythroMer is nanoparticle-encapsulated human hemoglobin which mimics the oxygen-carrying abilities of red blood cells. It can be freeze-dried for long-term storage and used when red blood isn’t available.

NuvOx Pharma 

Located in Tucson, Arizona, NuvOx Pharma is developing a therapeutic to treat diseases relating to hypoxia. This therapeutic, upon intravenous injection, works by flowing through the bloodstream to the lungs to pick up oxygen and then delivering this to the hypoxic tissues.

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Membio

Located in Mississauga, Canada, Membio utilizes biomanufacturing to produce blood without a donor. This artificially created blood is pathogen-free, highly compatible with all blood types, and is composed of young cells that last longer in the body, reducing the need for multiple transfusions.

Lab Management Software for Artificial Blood Substitutes Companies: Scispot.io

Scispot has become the primary lab management software of choice for numerous modern biotech companies, including artificial blood substitute companies.

Scispot creates a connected digital replica of these innovative bioscience companies. It centralizes their company-wide data, templatizes routine research and automates non-scientific tasks. It makes other lab software such as electronic lab notebooks (ELNs) and lab information management systems (LIMS) redundant.

Artificial blood substitute companies use Scispot's operating platform to manage their research projects, inventory, samples, and partners all in one spot. Request a demo to learn how you can accelerate your research using Scispot.

Frequently asked questions

Which artificial blood substitute companies are featured?

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The article profiles HbO2 Therapeutics, Hemarina, Kalocyte, NuvOx Pharma, and Membio. Their approaches include hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers, marine-derived oxygen-carrying molecules, nanoparticle-encapsulated hemoglobin, oxygen-delivery therapeutics for hypoxic tissue, and biomanufactured blood produced without relying on a traditional donor supply.

What is an artificial blood substitute?

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An artificial blood substitute is a product designed to replace or support one or more functions of donated blood, most often oxygen transport. These products do not necessarily reproduce every role of whole blood. Their intended use, composition, administration, storage, safety profile, and development stage vary widely across companies.

How do the companies in this article differ?

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HbO2 Therapeutics develops oxygen-carrying products, Hemarina works with marine-worm-derived oxygen carriers, Kalocyte develops nanoparticle-encapsulated hemoglobin, NuvOx targets oxygen delivery to hypoxic tissue, and Membio uses biomanufacturing to produce blood without donors. Each approach addresses a different technical and clinical problem.

What use cases are artificial blood substitutes targeting?

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The article describes potential use in trauma care, hypoxia-related conditions, tissue oxygenation, human and veterinary medicine, and situations where donated blood is unavailable. Some products aim to act as oxygen therapeutics rather than full replacements for every blood function. Intended use must be assessed product by product.

How can Scispot support artificial blood research companies?

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