https://www.medschool.umaryland.edu/news/2025/new-protein-therapy-shows-promise-as-first-ever-antidote-for-carbon-monoxide-poisoning.html Skip to main content * UMSOM * Quick Links + Departments o Anesthesiology o Biochemistry and Molecular Biology o Dermatology o Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine o Emergency Medicine o Epidemiology and Public Health o Family and Community Medicine o Medical and Research Technology o Medicine o Microbiology and Immunology o Neurobiology o Neurology o Neurosurgery o Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences o Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences o Orthopaedics o Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery o Pathology o Pediatrics o Pharmacology o Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science o Physiology o Psychiatry o Radiation Oncology o Surgery + Programs o Aging, Trauma, and Emergency Care (PATEC) o Health Equity and Population Health o Neuroscience o Oncology o Personalized and Genomic Medicine o Trauma o Veterinary Resources + Research Centers o Center for Advanced Research Training & Innovation (CARTI) o Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology o Center for Biomolecular Therapeutics (CBT) o Center for Integrative Medicine o Maryland Psychiatric Research Center (MPRC) o Center for Research on Aging o Center for Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research o Center for Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine o Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD) o Center for Vascular & Inflammatory Diseases + Institutes o Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) o Institute for Health Computing (IHC) o Institute of Human Virology (IHV) o Institute for Neuroscience Discovery (UM-MIND) o o Kahlert Institute for Addiction Medicine o + Graduate Programs + CIBR Cores + Offices of the Dean + Giving * Email * MyUMB * Directory * Events * Tools + Email + Intranet o About o Login + MyUMB + Directory <1-- + Map--> + Events Search [ ] [Submit] University of Maryland School of Medicine Menu * About Us + Overview + Strategic Plan + Just the Facts + Mission, Vision and Values + Community Engagement o Mobile Healthcare Baltimore + Administration and Governance + About Dean Gladwin + Dean's Senior Staff + Offices of the Dean + Contact Us * Departments + Overview + Department Chairs + Anesthesiology + Biochemistry and Molecular Biology + Dermatology + Diagnostic Radiology & Nuclear Medicine + Emergency Medicine + Epidemiology and Public Health + Family & Community Medicine + Medical & Research Technology + Medicine + Microbiology & Immunology + Neurobiology + Neurology + Neurosurgery + Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences + Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences + Orthopaedics + Otorhinolaryngology + Pathology + Pediatrics + Pharmacology & Physiology + Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science + Psychiatry + Radiation Oncology + Surgery * Research + Overview + Departments + Institutes + Research Centers + Programs + Labs + Research Resources + Training Grants * Education & Training + Overview + Doctor of Medicine Program + Residency Programs + Fellowship Programs + Graduate Education + Postdoctoral Scholars + Training Grants + Genetic Counseling + Medical & Research Technology + Pathologists' Assistant + Physical Therapy + Public Health * Patients + Overview + Mobile Healthcare Baltimore + University of Maryland Medical Center + R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center + UM Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center + UM Rehabilitation & Orthopaedic Institute + The Center for Integrative Medicine + Baltimore VA Medical Center + Faculty Practices * Faculty + Overview + Faculty Profiles + Department Chairs + Endowed Chairs & Professorships + Faculty Education * News + Latest News + Upcoming Events + Maryland Medicine Front Line News Videos + UMSOM Media Highlights Archive + UMSOM in the Media + Publications * Alumni + Overview + Office of Development + Medical Alumni Association Give New Protein Therapy Shows Promise as First-Ever Antidote for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning NewsArchive Pages2025 NewsNew Protein Therapy Shows Promise as First-Ever Antidote for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning August 12, 2025 | Jon Kelvey [CO-Banner] University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers, along with their colleagues, engineered a new molecule that appears promising as an effective antidote for carbon monoxide poisoning with fewer side effects than other molecules currently being tested, according to a new study published in the journal PNAS. Mark T. Gladwin, MDCarbon monoxide poisoning accounts for 50,000 emergency room visits in the U.S. each year and causes about 1,500 deaths. These deaths may occur when carbon monoxide released from combustion builds up in an enclosed space, which can result from ventilation failures in indoor natural gas burning equipment, or running gasoline generators or automobiles indoors or in a closed garage. Carbon monoxide poisoning is also associated with most fires from smoke inhalation. Currently, the only treatments for carbon monoxide poisoning are oxygen-based therapies, which help the body eliminate the toxic gas. However, even with treatment, nearly half of survivors suffer long-term heart and brain damage. This has created an urgent need for faster, more effective therapies. In the new study, the research team developed a new engineered protein-based therapy called RcoM-HBD-CCC, which acts like a sponge to soak up carbon monoxide from the blood. Beginning with RcoM (short for "regulator of metabolism")--a natural protein the bacterium Paraburkholderia xenovorans uses to sense minute levels of carbon monoxide--the researchers engineered a version that is highly selective: It grabs carbon monoxide without interfering with oxygen or other important molecules in the body. In tests on mice, the new therapy worked quickly to remove carbon monoxide from red blood cells and was safely flushed out of the body through urine. "Unlike other protein-based treatments, we found the compound caused only minimal changes in blood pressure, which was an exciting finding and raised the potential for this new molecule to have clinical applications," said study corresponding author Mark T. Gladwin, MD, Dean of UMSOM who is also the Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor. "This has the potential to become a rapid, intravenous antidote for carbon monoxide that could be given in the emergency department or even in the field by first-responders." Jason J. Rose, MD, MBA How Carbon Monoxide Kills In healthy bodies, oxygen inhaled from the air binds to the protein hemoglobin on the surface of red blood cells, which then ferry the oxygen to all the tissues of the body. Inhaled poisonous carbon monoxide gas, however, competes with oxygen for hemoglobin. It enters the bloodstream and binds to hemoglobin with a 200 to 400-fold greater affinity than oxygen. That means carbon monoxide hogs most of the hemoglobin seats, so not enough oxygen molecules can get a ride to the tissues that need them. Currently, the only available treatments for carbon monoxide poisoning involve giving 100 percent pure oxygen, sometimes under pressure in a hyperbaric chamber. All too often, patients are not transported, diagnosed, and treated in time to reverse the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning, which can cause lasting cardiac and neurological injuries or even death. "This molecule could be a game-changer because it can directly and rapidly remove carbon monoxide from the body with such a low risk of off-target side effects," said Jason J. Rose, MD, MBA, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division Chief of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, and one of the study's researchers. "Given the promising results, we also see the potential for RcoM-HBD-CCC use in other areas, like as a blood substitute in severe anemia or hemorrhagic shock." Bloodstream Scavengers The research team focused on engineering carbon monoxide "scavengers," which are proteins structurally similar to hemoglobin, known as hemoproteins, but exhibiting even greater binding affinity -- stickiness -- for carbon monoxide, and less affinity for binding oxygen. The natural protein RcoMInfused in the bloodstream, scavenger hemoproteins like RcoM-HBD-CCC rapidly bind to carbon monoxide molecules, reducing the time it takes to clear half of the carbon monoxide in the blood to less than a minute, compared to more than hour with pure oxygen therapy and five hours without any treatment. When carbon monoxide is cleared, this frees hemoglobin on red blood cells to begin carrying oxygen once again. But many hemoproteins also share some affinity for binding oxygen, and can therefore also scavenge nitric oxide, a molecule important in regulating blood pressure. Infusions of hemoproteins or hemoglobin can reduce the levels of nitric oxide in the blood, leading to tightened blood vessels and a rapid rise in blood pressure. In this latest study, the researchers were surprised to find that RcoM-HBD-CCC did not result in an increase in blood pressure regardless of whether carbon monoxide was present in the blood. They theorize that while RcoM-HBD-CCC may scavenge nitric oxide, a blood-pressure regulating molecule, it may do so more slowly than other hemoproteins, leading to its safer profile. Future studies will likely include more pre-clinical research to determine the safe and effective dosage range for RcoM-HBD-CCC in treating carbon monoxide poisoning. It could also form the basis for new research in other fields, including as an oxygen delivery therapy or blood substitute. This could include hemorrhagic shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), severe anemias, and the preservation of organs for transplantation. Dr. Rose and Dean Gladwin are co-founders and directors of Globin Solutions, which has licensed technology based on RcoM from the University of Pittsburgh towards the development of a CO poisoning antidote. Dr Rose is President and CEO of Globin Solutions. Globin Solutions has sponsored research agreements with UMB. About the University of Maryland School of Medicine The University of Maryland School of Medicine, established in 1807 as the first public medical school in the U.S., continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world. The School has nearly $500 million total research funding, 46 departments, centers, and institutes, more than 2,200 student trainees and over 3,000 faculty members, including notable members of the National Academy of Medicine. As the largest public medical school in the DC/MD/VA region, faculty-physicians are working to help patients manage chronic diseases like obesity, cancer, heart disease and addiction, while also working on cutting-edge research to address the most critical generational health challenges. In 2024, the School ranked #12 among public medical schools and #27 among all medical schools for R&D expenditures by the National Science Foundation. With a $1.3 billion total operating budget, the School partners with the University of Maryland Medical Center to serve nearly 2 million patients annually. The School's global reach extends around the world with research and treatment facilities in 33 countries. In Maryland, the School of Medicine is spearheading new initiatives in AI and health computing and partnering with the University of Maryland BioPark to develop new medical technologies and bioengineering ventures. For more information, visit medschool.umaryland.edu. Read the full story at: carbon monoxide, Jason Rose, Contact Office of Public Affairs 655 West Baltimore Street Bressler Research Building 14-002 Baltimore, Maryland 21201-1559 Contact Media Relations (410) 706-5260 Related stories [Rose-HSF-I] Tuesday, November 21, 2023 University of Maryland, Baltimore Receives Landmark Funding to Create New Innovation Hub in West Baltimore and the Region University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) President Bruce Jarrell, MD, FACS, and University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean Mark Gladwin, MD, announced today that the University has received a four-year, $4 million Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hubs (REACH) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support the University's work advancing the biomedical entrepreneurship and innovation economy in West Baltimore and Greater Baltimore while also training one of the most diverse biomedical and entrepreneurial workforces in the country. ----------------------------------------------------------------- [Rose_Jason] Monday, January 23, 2023 New Recommendations Aim to Help Prevent Future Lung Injuries from Vaping Nearly four years ago, federal health officials reported on a frightening new epidemic linked to e-cigarette use that caused a life-threatening and potentially irreversible lung condition. The condition - called e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) - was primarily linked to the inclusion of vitamin E acetate (VEA) in e-liquids used in vape cartridges. It was mainly found in marijuana vape products that were unregulated. ----------------------------------------------------------------- [Rose_Jason] Thursday, October 06, 2022 Dr. Jason Rose Appointed Associate Dean for Innovation and Physician Science Development University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD announced today that Jason Rose, MD, MBA, has been named Associate Dean for Innovation and Physician Science Development at UMSOM. He will also serve as the Director of Faculty Entrepreneurship. The new positions are part of Dean Gladwin's goal of strengthening the school's physician-scientist pipeline and advancing a major effort to foster biomedical start-up companies that are based in academia. ----------------------------------------------------------------- * Contact Us * Webmaster * Web Accessibility * Site Index * UMB Hotline * Employment * Notice of Non-Discrimination * Map * Facebook * Twitter * YouTube * Instagram * University of Maryland, Baltimore * University of Maryland Medical Center * Health Sciences and Human Services Library (c) University of Maryland School of Medicine, 655 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore MD 21201