A new engineered molecule shows promise as an antidote for carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning with fewer side effects than other remedies currently being tested.
This is according to research from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the United States.
“Carbon monoxide is the most common poison in America and in the world, and there’s no antidote for it,” said Dr Mark Gladwin, dean of the School of Medicine and principal investigator of the lab that produced the study.
“When people die in house fires, it’s usually due to carbon monoxide poisoning.”
It can also come from operating any kind of combustion in an enclosed space, including a grill, a diesel generator or an automobile.
The researchers published the findings about their engineered molecule, RcoM-HBD-CCC, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in August (2025).
This molecular treatment could equip emergency responders with a remedy on the scene, said study author and the university’s Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine division chief Dr Jason Rose.
“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,” he said.
His lab team has been chasing a molecular treatment for CO poisoning for more than a decade, he said.
They have looked at the role of different molecules, including nitric oxide, to remove CO from red blood cells.
“The ‘aha!’ moment was when we discovered that there were these soil bacteria that actually use CO for energy instead of oxygen,” Dr Rose said.
“They’ve evolved this protein to detect very low levels of CO in their environment.”
His team genetically engineered bacteria and yeast to produce the protein.
Their next step will be designing animal and human trials to verify the treatment’s safety.
CO poisoning is particularly difficult to treat because of how tightly CO binds to the haemoglobin in red blood cells.
Haemoglobin is the compound that carries oxygen throughout the body, according to the Maryland Department of Health.
CO prevents the blood from absorbing oxygen, and it takes a long time – up to 27 hours, to clear from the body without care.
Treatment options include administering pure oxygen from a mask or inside a pressurised chamber if available, Dr Gladwin said.
This treatment still takes more than an hour, depending on how quickly the patient gets help.
Even if the patient recovers, they might suffer lasting cardiac (heart) and neurological injuries.
“It’s a tough one,” Dr Gladwin said, “because it’s colourless, odourless, tasteless.
“I encourage everyone to have carbon monoxide detectors in their home, on every floor of their home.” – By Karl Hille/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service
