Some of the world’s most influential companies were founded by college-age visionaries—think Facebook, Microsoft, and Dell. While it’s unlikely that Brooklyn-based Cresilon will ever reach the size and influence of those aforementioned tech giants, the startup has come an impressively long way since it was founded in 2010 by Joe Landolina, then a freshman at New York University.
Cresilon has raised about $130 million in venture capital and now employs more than 80 people. Last week, the company received its second FDA approval for human use. The FDA granted 510(k) clearance for temporary external use to control moderate to severe bleeding to Traumagel, the startup’s gel that can stop bleeding in seconds.
The company was founded nearly more than a decade ago when 17-year-old Landolina extracted polymers from algae cell walls and discovered a matrix that instantly bonds to living tissue. He had the idea of applying this concept to a traumatic bleeding wound – he wanted to find a way to inject this gel into a heavily bleeding wound to create a temporary seal.
Cresilon’s products were used exclusively by veterinarians until June last year, then
The hemostatic gel – developed for the local treatment of bleeding wounds such as small cuts and abrasions – has been approved by the FDA for use in humans.
Traumagel, the product the FDA approved last week, is designed to stop bleeding from traumatic wounds within seconds when applied directly to the site.
“Traumagel works by immediately creating a mechanical barrier to bleeding at the wound. This barrier then allows the patient to quickly form their own natural clot that does not combine with traumagel, so traumagel can then be removed without disturbing the clot,” explained Landolina.
The product is useful in all cases of moderate to severe bleeding, including gunshot wounds, stab wounds and cuts, he noted.
The product is sold primarily to trauma hospitals, the military, emergency services and first responders, Landolina added.
“Cresilon’s mission is to save lives. Our vision is to create a world without the risk of bleeding to death by providing faster and more reliable methods of stopping bleeding in trauma care, surgery and animal health,” he explained.
For him, Cresilon’s gels are special compared to the many powders, gauze and sponges used today to stop bleeding. These products are difficult to use because a first responder has to press them inch by inch into a gunshot wound, which can be both painful and risky, Landolina stressed.
He believes that Cresilon’s ease of use helps differentiate the gels from other methods of hemostasis.
Photo: virus, Getty Images
