Stopping bleeding instantly

Severe blood loss, whether the result of an accident or a complication during surgery, can result in death within minutes. An easy-to-use technology that can instantly stop severe bleeding would have the potential to save countless lives. The Brooklyn-based biotech company Cresilon has developed a unique solution with a proprietary plant-based gel that can control bleeding on contact.



Last year, the company received its first FDA clearance for its latest gel showing remarkable hemostatic properties, capable of stopping the flow of blood from injuries. Their first product using this technology is called Traumagel—and Cresilon is ready to bring this revolutionary technology to the trauma and emergency markets.The impact should be powerful. The gel, which is applied with a syringe, can stop severe bleeding almost immediately. And it doesn’t require special storage conditions or manual preparation. “This year, we’ll very likely save our first human life with Traumagel,” says Cresilon cofounder and CEO Joe Landolina. “That’s something we’re very excited for.”







Cresilon has already helped save thousands of animal lives with its first product, Vetigel, available for use by licensed veterinarians. Landolina says the product has been used on more than 50,000 animals—including dogs, cats, whales, and gorillas—around the world. “In the animal health space, there’s nothing else available for massive, traumatic bleeding,” he says. “We’re the only standard of care.”



Cresilon’s sophisticated products are remarkable both for the science behind their development and for their potential impact on lives around the world. It’s that mix of high-tech research and broad-based application that has earned Cresilon a spot on Fast Company ’s list of the world’s Most Innovative Companies in 2024.



FROM DORM ROOM TO OPERATING ROOM 



Landolina was only 17 when he started Cresilon from his New York University dorm. He developed the gel using polymers found in algae and fungi that support the body’s natural clotting process. When he hit upon the solution, he immediately recognized its potential.



Bringing the business from idea to reality posed plenty of challenges, however. For starters, Landolina and his partner, Cresilon cofounder and EVP Isaac Miller, needed to figure out how to manufacture the gel. “The product is like hummus that needs to be made like a vaccine,” he says. “There are a lot of hummus manufacturers in the world, and a lot of vaccine manufacturers, but no one was creative enough to try to do both at the same time.”



That left Cresilon with a big decision: to shut the business down or manufacture the product itself. Landolina and his team opted for the latter, turning a 1930s-era schoolhouse into a pilot production plant. Their prototype products led to strong interest—and funding—from investors, and Landolina realized that the plant might not have the capacity to keep up with the anticipated demand. So the team pivoted to building a state-of-the-art, 30,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. 



In 2020, the first doses of Vetigel were produced in that facility. And if all goes as planned, the first doses of commercially available Traumagel will soon be rolling out. Landolina is optimistic that Traumagel will soon be available to treat patients in settings ranging from combat zones to accident sites and, eventually, the operating room. “The life-saving potential of this technology is massive,” he says.