A Bengaluru-based start-up Axio Biosolutions is transforming the way defence and police services undertake wound management for injured soldiers, thereby saving a number of lives. As Axio Biosolutions CEO Leo Mavely explains, “According to the US Army, half of the total number of US soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq died due to bleeding.” Which clearly shows that effective control of bleeding can be the difference between life and death.

Initially, the company started working with the Border Security Forces (BSF) to build Axiostat, which is a stable, affordable and rugged Haemostat or blood First Field Dressing (FFD) kit as an alternative to high cost imported kits. It consists of 8x8cm sponges packed in a MIL grade 3-layer packing. The product is a polymer-based material called Chitosan, and Axio has patented both the process and the 100 per cent Chitosan product derived from it. When in contact with blood, Chitosan works by having positively charged ions react with the negatively charged ingredients of the blood to form a strong clot in a matter of few seconds which arrests further bleeding. This bond can be reversed by applying water and saline.