• A sanitary product made from the hemoglobin of a sea worm has just obtained the CE certificate, allowing it to be placed on the European market.

  • The hemoglobin of the lugworm has oxygenating properties far superior to those of the human being.

  • The Hemo2life product developed by the Breton company Hemarina should improve the preservation of grafts awaiting transplantation.

Its founder had been waiting for this for fifteen years.

Based in Morlaix (Finistère), the Hemarina company has finally obtained CE marking for its Hemo2life product made from the hemoglobin of a sea worm, which will allow it to be placed on the European market.

In a press release, the company claims that its product “revolutionizes the preservation of grafts awaiting transplantation, without modifying clinical protocols, and with a demonstrated effect on the survival of post-transplant patients”.

Founded by Franck Zal, a former CNRS researcher, Hemarina exploits the properties of the sandworm, whose hemoglobin is capable of carrying 40 times more oxygen than human hemoglobin.

Hemarina uses this property to oxygenate grafts during organ transplants.

Tests carried out during the Covid-19 crisis

Hemo2life "allows the physiological oxygenation of kidney grafts, thus optimizing their storage time and their quality", underlines the company.

“This technology can now be a preferred solution for each intervention in the countries of the European Union and those where the CE marking is recognized.

Hemo2life will make it possible to switch transplantation from an emergency procedure to a planned medicine,” she adds.


In March 2020, at the very start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Breton company had already made headlines.

In an attempt to treat patients, Franck Zal had conducted tests by administering to patients with Covid-19 a solution derived from the blood of the animal with very significant oxygenation powers.

The clinical trial was finally suspended on April 9 by the Medicines Agency after the discovery of negative results from a previous study conducted on pigs.

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