Almost all the different components derived from blood -- red blood cells, platelets,plasma, cryoprecipitated AHF, and granulocytes - have a limited shelf life, and most require some sort of refrigeration. Junior chemical engineering student, Daphne Garcia is one of the students working with Andre Palmer, assistant professor of chemical engineering, to develop a universal blood substitute that will last for years without refrigeration. What's unique about this research is that they are developing new cross-linking agents to polymerize the hemoglobin, which means they can control the amount of hemoglobin that travels through capillary walls into smooth muscle cells, where it normally sequesters nitrous oxide and causes blood vessels to constrict, leading to high blood pressure.

For a current list of research opportunities available to engineering undergraduates, visit http://www.nd.edu/~engineer/current/ugo.html