'Instant' healing gel invented by college student

A third-year college student may be on to something when it comes to stopping bleeding —by inventing a gel-like substance that quickly starts the clotting and healing process.

 

New York University student Joe Landolina said his creation, which he called "Veti-Gel," allows wounds even to internal organs or major arteries to close "instantaneously."

 

"It instantly tells the body, 'OK, stop the bleeding,' but also it starts the healing process," said Landolina, in an article on TechNewsDaily.

 

"I have seen [Veti-Gel] close any size wound that it is applied to. As long as you can cover it, it can close it," he added.

 

Landolina said Veti-Gel could also treat severe burns, noting one of his friends who had second-degree burns from a bonfire accident was healed with the gel.

 

TechNewsDaily said Veti-Gel is a synthetic form of the extracellular matrix (ECM), the substance that triggers the clotting process in case of bleeding.

 

It said Landolina has been developing and testing Veti-Gel at Englewood Hospital in New Jersey.

 

"The material has promise… but the work is in its early stages and we need to carry out confirmatory tests. I am optimistic for the future," Dr. Herbert Dardik, who oversees Landolina's work, told TechNewsDaily by email.

 

According to TechNewsDaily, Landolina improved the process of plants naturally producing a material similar to the human ECM, by using genetically modified plants to create Veti-Gel.

 

He noted other wound treatments such as collagen come from animals, while other "rival" treatments require refrigeration.

 

In contrast, Veti-Gel can be kept in packets or tubes at any temperature from one to 32 degrees Celsius.

 

"Veti-Gel does three things in particular, depending on what part of the wound it comes in contact with. It can stimulate the creation of a blood-clotting substance, activate platelet cells to further plug the hole or cover and compress the wound," TechNewsDaily said.

 

Patent

 

TechNewsDaily said Landolina, who turns 21 next January, has applied for a patent and is beginning the Food and Drug Administration approval process.

 

He also plans to apply for a grant from the Department of Defense.

 

Initial tests

 

With initial tests on rats, Landolina managed to close a slice into the liver and a puncture of the carotid artery, it said.

 

He and his colleagues at startup Suneris also produced a 26-second video where a three-inch slice was made into a raw pork loin pumped full of pig's blood.

 

"That blood immediately pours out as if from a spigot. They then squeeze a layer of Veti-Gel over the cut, and the flow stops immediately," TechNewsDaily said.

 

Rivaling other products

 

If Veti-Gel works as claimed, it could rival other products designed to close wounds, such as QuickClot, which the U.S. military uses.

 

QuikClot, however, requires several minutes of applying pressure, TechNewsDaily said.

 

Landolina is now designing tests to compare Veti-Gel to those rival treatments and is looking for an independent researcher to perform the evaluation.

 

"We are eager to see the results," said Marisa Tricarico, who evaluates medical investments for the NYU Innovation Venture Fund.

 

She added Landolina "has impressed a lot of people." — TJD, GMA News