A recent AP News article discussed an interesting new patent from BeCool Pharmaceutics, a privately-held company based in Alaska. The company has earned an exclusive license for a drug-composition patent that can induce a hibernation-like state in humans. The hope is to mimic the benefits of hibernation for patients who have experienced cardiac arrest, neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, spinal cord injury or stroke.
The composition was developed at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the school owns the patent. It’s capable of decreasing the metabolic rate and shivering during targeted temperature management to improve outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
