Veterinary Blood Banks and BHOC: Precision Oxygen Therapeutics
The current goal of BHOC is sustained, controlled and precise tissue oxygen delivery adapted to local metabolic demand, whether donor blood is available or a transfusion is being given.
BHOC, Biological Hemoglobin Oxygen Carrier, is being developed within Precision Oxygen Therapeutics to support sustained, controlled and precise oxygen delivery throughout treatment, independently of donor-blood availability or the decision to transfuse.
Our aim is oxygen unloading that responds to local tissue conditions and metabolic demand: greater release where oxygen tension is low, and less where oxygen is sufficient. We are investigating how this approach can work with the body's regulation of microvascular flow and cellular metabolism.[5][6]
Our research priorities include supporting oxygen-dependent immune function; investigating whether iron recovered from carrier hemoglobin can contribute to endogenous erythropoiesis; and testing improvements in wound healing and the quality and speed of rehabilitation. These are product- and species-specific research aims.[7][8][9]
The oxygen bridge was the historical starting point. In 2009, Veterinary Practice News described how blood-bank professionals viewed Oxyglobin as an oxygen bridge: a way to support patients while donor blood was being arranged. Cooperation with the donor-blood system was already central to its practical role.[1]
The need for cooperation with veterinary blood banks remains relevant today. U.S. dog and cat ownership expanded in 2025, and a large veterinary-record study documented increasing life expectancy in dogs and cats between 2013 and 2018. Pet Blood Bank UK currently reports growing demand for blood and the need for more donors. We see these trends as further reasons to strengthen cooperation between blood banks, veterinary hospitals and oxygen-therapeutics developers.[2][3][4]
As oxygen-delivery science advances, the therapeutic focus extends beyond the historical "blood substitute" label. Precision Oxygen Therapeutics centres on oxygen reaching tissues and cells, where it supports oxygen-dependent metabolism. This broader perspective connects transfusion care and veterinary emergency medicine with microvascular oxygen delivery and tissue function.[5]
We welcome collaboration with veterinary blood banks and clinical teams to define research priorities and evaluate how this approach could strengthen care. The shared objective is timely oxygen support for the patient, with donor blood and oxygen therapeutics contributing through their respective functions.