High levels of proinflammatory cytokines are associated with high fatality in infectious conditions such as sepsis, liver toxicity, and ebola, which is typically brought about by rapidly escalating levels of cytokines. There is a need for materials and techniques capable of quickly removing cytokines from blood to prevent this “cytokine storm”.

Researchers at Drexel University have discovered that a family of open surface graphitic materials, including exfoliated graphite, graphene aerogels, graphene platelets, and other graphenic materials are excellent and selective adsorbents of proteins, including cytokines. In place of traditional pores, characteristic of activated carbons and other materials used for blood cleansing, this family of adsorbents offer open hydrophobic surfaces which are fully available to hydrophobic domains on targeted proteins, while small hydrophilic materials do not adhere.