Safi lands $4.7M US military grant to push lab-grown blood toward 2027 trial
What's the deal? Safi BiotherapeuticsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has secured a $4.7 million non-dilutive grant extension from the US Department of WarDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s Defense Health Program, routed through the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC). The Cambridge, Massachusetts company manufactures stem-cell-derived human red blood cells (mRBCs) for civilian and military transfusion.
Why now? US hospitals transfuse more than 10 million units of red blood cells each year, yet supply often falls short. The American Red Cross declared multiple shortages this year, including a national blood supply crisis.
What's the endgame? The money funds the final Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling work ahead of Safi's first clinical trial, targeting acute blood loss in 2027. It follows a January 2026 transfer of the company's 10-litre manufacturing system, which can produce more than one transfusable unit in a single bioreactor.
The grant brings Safi's total government funding above $27 million. Founded in 2020 as a partner of the US On-Demand Blood program, it has also completed a $5 million private seed round.
In context: The $4.7 million award lands in the top 10% of all-time US health grants, reflecting strong backing for a dual-use blood product. "We believe the future of blood is manufactured, and we've shown it can be produced at large scale," said chief executive officer and co-founder Doug McConnell.
What could go wrong? Safi remains preclinical. Clinical safety, manufacturing scale, and cost are still unproven, so the award marks progress toward a first trial — not a near-term replacement for donated blood.
The signal: The timing fits a wider military push to make blood products more durable and deployable, with efforts like DARPA's RAPIID program targeting shelf-stable components. If lab-grown red cells reach the clinic, they could ease a donor supply that is chronically fragile in hospitals and on the battlefield alike.
Read more: prnewswire.com
Image credit: Safi Biotherapeutics
