Innovation

College student invents a gel that stops bleeding on contact

A treatment that mimics the body's own wound-healing capabilities can be a lifesaver in hospitals, the battlefield and around the home.

Written by Tuan Nguyen, Contributor March 11, 2013 at 9:30 p.m. PT

A college student has invented a gel that he claims could stop bleeding -- instantly.

Apparently, the substance, dubbed Veti-Gel, works by activating the the body's natural blood-clotting mechanism and enabling the wound-healing process to go into effect immediately. Inventor Joe Landolina, an undergraduate at NYU, says he's tested his creation on wounded rats as well as a wounded person who suffered a severe burn injury.

"One of my other colleagues … he went to a bonfire. One of his friends fell into the fire and got second-degree burns," he told TechNewsDaily. "He put the gel on, and the next day it was healed."

Landolina designed Veti-gel to mimic a substance found within animal connective tissue known as the extracellular matrix, which not only does the important job of providing structural support to cells but is also responsible for kick-starting a chain reaction that produces fibrin, the proteins that come together to form blood clots.

To come up with a synthetic version of ECM, he extracted a material that functions similarly from special genetically-modified plants. When applied, the gel helps to seal the wound through a combination of enhanced blood clotting, platelet activation to help block the flow of blood as well as covering and putting pressure on the opening.

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While there other treatments on the market, none offer Veti-Gel's distinct advantages. For instance, while the U.S. military already uses a material called QuikClot to force platelets to quickly form a clot, it takes longer and requires being applied with pressure. And while some of these alternatives need to be kept refrigerated, Veti-Gel works out of the tube at just about any temperature.

Landolina knows he's still a ways from a putting out a mass-market product. The third year bachelor's degree candidate has launched a startup and has been searching for an outside researcher to carry out independent tests on Veti-Gel. He's also exploring the possibility of testing Veti-Gel in collaboration with veterinarians. In the meantime, Landolina has applied for a patent, submitted his treatment to the FDA for approval and applied for a military grant to further development.

Looks like he's going to have a busy summer.

(Hat tip to Sean Captain over at TechNewsDaily)

Below is a video demonstrating Veti-Gel. Warning: it's bloody.