Presenting Artificial Blood Research in Xi’an
Zihao Sun, a postdoctoral researchers at KU Leuven, represented the SynEry consortium at the 20th International Symposium on Blood Substitutes (ISBS 2026), held in Xi’an, China.
The biennial symposium is the leading global forum dedicated to artificial cells, hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs), and blood substitutes. This year’s event focused heavily on nanobiotechnology and translating bio-inspired carriers from early-stage lab design into viable pre-hospital and emergency care solutions.
Key Highlights from the Meeting
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Sharing Project Outcomes: The team presented recent data on engineering bio-inspired artificial erythrocytes, highlighting our approaches to functionalizing liposomal membranes and improving carrier stability.
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Global Knowledge Exchange: Attending ISBS provided a valuable opportunity to connect with international groups working across oxygen-carrier engineering, microfluidics, and translational transfusion medicine.
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Benchmarking Industry Standards: Discussions centered on overcoming standard translational bottlenecks—such as biocompatibility screening, shelf-life optimization, and scalable production methodologies.
Presenting our progress alongside global experts in artificial cell development helps ensure that SynEry’s research stays aligned with the state of the art in blood substitute technology.