New antidote to carbon monoxide poisoning: potential lifesaver for thousands

Every year, thousands of people around the world lose their lives and health due to carbon monoxide poisoning. When providing first aid to a victim of carbon monoxide poisoning, quick action is crucial to minimize damage. A newly developed antidote offers the opportunity for immediate treatment and a speedy recovery.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is one of the most deadly poisons you can encounter in a household. This compound binds to hemoglobin (which normally participates in the assimilation of atmospheric oxygen) with a much greater affinity than oxygen, up to 400 times greater. This means that when given a choice between an oxygen molecule and a carbon monoxide molecule, hemoglobin will bind to the latter. This limits or cuts off the oxygen supply and can result in permanent damage to internal organs (particularly the brain) or even death. Carbon monoxide usually comes from poorly designed furnaces, gas stoves, fireplaces, etc. Despite technological advances in this area , the number of poisonings in Poland and worldwide remains significant . In Poland alone, in 2025, over 3,500 poisoning-related interventions were carried out, resulting in over 800 injuries and nearly 30 deaths .

Internal damage resulting from oxygen deprivation caused by carbon monoxide assimilation is very serious and irreversible. This makes it even more crucial to remove it from the bloodstream as quickly as possible to minimize damage. Current therapies utilize oxygen therapy, which places the patient in a chamber filled with nearly 100% oxygen. Unfortunately, these therapies are often performed too late or ineffectively, which can increase the risk of permanent damage. The newly developed RcoM-HBD-CCC protein comes to the rescue.

The study's authors call the RcoM-HBD-CCC protein a "scavenger." It is designed to bind to carbon monoxide with even greater affinity than hemoglobin. This means that RcoM-HBD-CCC molecules "grab" carbon monoxide from hemoglobin, releasing it and enabling natural oxygen assimilation . This means that the total time required to remove half of the carbon monoxide present in the bloodstream is less than a minute , compared to oxygen therapy requiring almost an hour , and without treatment, this amount of carbon monoxide is removed only after about five hours.

RcoM-HBD-CCC is a hemoprotein, a protein structurally similar to hemoglobin. Many hemoproteins also have an affinity for oxygen and other chemical compounds, such as nitric oxide (NO), which is involved in regulating blood pressure . Binding of this foreign hemoprotein to NO could result in uncontrolled vasoconstriction and a rapid increase in blood pressure. However, recent studies have shown that RcoM-HBD-CCC's affinity for NO was so limited that in a sample deprived of carbon monoxide, the loss of nitric oxide was unnoticeable. This means that in appropriate doses, the compound likely has no negative side effects.

Thousands of people worldwide suffer from carbon monoxide poisoning each year. This makes technology for rapid CO2 elimination from the body crucial in minimizing the damage caused by poisoning. Further preclinical studies are currently underway, with growing prospects for a commercial launch in the coming years.