our mission:
To Solve the world's
blood shortage

The Heme Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2021 and based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Our goal is a more healthy, safer and equitable world.

Here’s how we’ll save lives …

Red blood cell transfusions are essential in many medical interventions, but managing donations and the administration of getting blood to patients is a complex and expensive proposition. And despite some 130-million units of blood are donated globally each year, there is still a shortage. By some estimates, the shortage is 30-million units. 

Once donated, red blood cells expire with in 45 days. Keeping a fresh supply on-hand is challenging enough, even with the most efficient systems in place. Natural disasters, pandemics, conflict, and under-developed supply chains can disrupt the global supply chain and create needless suffering and even death. 

The Heme Foundation has partnered with the inventors of a revolutionary therapy, universal oxygen carrier (UOC) which can be used in place of red blood cell transfusions. UOC has been proven in clinical tests to be a safe and effective replacement therapy. This life-saving solution can be used when traditional blood supplies are not available. 

UOC therapy can save lives at a global scale. Some of the advantages of UOC include: 

  • Compatibility: UOC is compatible with all human blood types. 
  • Significant cost savings: Produced at scale, the cost of UOC can be significantly less than for producing the traditional red blood equivalent.
  • Naturally-derived: UOC is made mostly from two materials: a carbohydrate, and bovine heme. It is absorbed into the body after 12 days. 
  • Extended shelf life: UOC can be stored in dehydrated form for up to 5 years at room temperature with no impairment in efficacy. 
  • Greater access and efficiency: Because it is shelf stable, UOC can be stored in more ways and in more places than traditional blood. 
  • Global reach: Because it can be produced at scale and is also shelf stable, AOC can help people in places where access to traditional blood supplies is difficult if not impossible. 

Once UOC is approved, the Heme Foundation would control its manufacturing and distribution, which is a unique role for a nonprofit. Getting to that point requires significant investment from globally minded foundations, companies, and individual donors. 

There are many ways to help, including one-time donations, ongoing monthly gifts, donations of unwanted vehicles and real estate, stocks and securities, and more. Visit our donation page to explore the many ways you can help today with a charitable gift.