VetiGel stops bleeding in seconds

Suneris have invented an algae-based polymer gel which, when applied to a wound, makes blood clot and bleeding stop in seconds.

When injected into a wound VetiGel can form a clot within 12 seconds and starts to heal the wound within minutes. Each batch of gel begins as an algae made up of tiny individual polymers. If those polymers are broken down into even tinier pieces they can be put into the gel and injected into a wound site. Once the gel hits the damaged tissue, whether it's open skin or a biopsied soft organ, the gel instantly forms a mesh-like structure.

VetiGel immediately stops moderate to severe bleeding in wounds from minor lesions to massive arterial bleeding as the gel achieves hemostasis without the need for manual pressure. The gel is bioresorbable and plant based, meaning that when the gel has become solid it can either be removed, or left in place to safely resorb into the body.

Joe Landolina invented the gel when he was 17 and now, at 22, he is the CEO of Suneris, a biotech company that manufactures the VetiGel. Landolina said: "What that means, on the one hand, is that the gel will make a very strong adhesive that holds the wound together, but on the other hand, that mesh acts as a scaffold to help the body produce fibrin at the wound's surface."

VetiGel is only available for use on animals and by veterinarians at present, however, it is expected to receive FDA approval for testing on human wounds within the next year.