VetiGel is injected into the wound and forms a bloodclot within 12 seconds.
When Joe Landolina was 17 years old, he imagined a product that would have the power to immediately stop a wound from bleeding.
Today, Landolina is 22 years old and his dreams have become a reality. His invention, VetiGel, is an algae-based polymer that can heal a wound within minutes. And it’s finally in the process of becoming an approved health care substance.
How Does it Work?
VetiGel is made of broken down algae polymers, which function as healing building blocks that can be compared to Legos. The gel is injected into the wound site and forms a clot in 12 seconds. The wound is completely healed minutes later, according to Landolina.
The product may work even faster, but Landolina’s equipment is only able take process measurements every 12 seconds. The gel hits the damaged tissue and forms a mesh that can heal open skin, or even more delicate parts of the body, like biopsied soft organs.
The gel does more than close the wound. The mesh prompts the body to create fibrin, which is a naturally occurring protein that helps with the long-term healing process. Once the fibrin is produced, the gel is no longer needed.
“What that means, on the one hand, is that the gel will make a very strong adhesive that holds the wound together,” Landolina told Business Insider. “But on the other hand, that mesh acts as a scaffold to help the body produce fibrin at the wound’s surface.”
When Will it Hit the Shelves?
VetiGel was just a dream before Landolina invented a prototype of the instant wound-stopper in high school. He later entered it into a business competition during his time at New York University, where it won second place. Landolina’s win gathered attention for the product, and with the help of his project partner Isaac Miller, he created a business centered around the idea.
The product is now manufactured by Suneris, a biotech company that Landolina co-founded. Landolina is the CEO of the company and Miller is the CFO. Suneris recently announced that VetiGel will be tested by veterinarians first, and the company will begin shipping five-packs of 5-milliliter syringes that cost $150 each to animal hospitals later this summer.
Landolina has partnered with VetPlus, a British company focused on food-based animal healthcare. His goal is to market his products in Europe and Asia after they’ve hit the shelves in the United States.
Landolina’s dreams won’t end when he’s reached the international marketplace for animal care. He hopes that the product will be approved by the FDA for human use within the year, and plans for it to go to military personnel and EMTs and then to operating rooms. After that, it will finally be made available for individual purchase.
And for those of you concerned about negative side effects, nothing has yet been reported. Vets using the product are frequently giving updates to Suneris to ensure the quality and safety of the product.
With the path he’s currently on, Joe Landolina will make a difference in the healthcare industry. His story reminds us that dreams really do come true.
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