Sitting in his company’s headquarters at Industry City, Joe Landolina says business is good. 

More than a decade after creating what he calls a life-saving gel, his start-up just got a critical approval from the FDA.

“This is the only aseptic bio-manufacturing in the five boroughs of New York at this time, and it’s something that we’re incredibly proud of having built here in Brooklyn,” Landolina said, describing the operation and a journey that started when he was just a teenager with an interest in chemistry.

What You Need To Know

  • More than a decade after creating what he calls a life-saving gel, Joe Landolina's start-up just got a critical approval from the FDA

  • He says his company's first product, Vetigel, has been successful in veterinary care, stopping bleeding to stop in seconds without the need to apply manual pressure

  • He envisions the gel reaching widespread use, preventing fatal bleeds while his company creates jobs

“One day I was running this experiment with algae and I found this material that would stick to skin and it wouldn’t let go. I had this idea: what if you could take that material and put it into a bleeding wound?,” he said.

The Brooklyn native co-founded Cresilon on that idea. It’s first product, Vetigel has been successful in veterinary care, stopping bleeding to stop in seconds without the need to apply manual pressure.

This month, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the gel on humans.

“That means starting in minor bleeding, which is where our first clearance came in [and] eventually moving into trauma care and that means… gunshot wounds or stabbing injuries or really big bleeds that are taking patients’ lives every day,” he said.

He envisions the gel reaching widespread use, preventing fatal bleeds while his company creates jobs.

“It’s really important to me that we have these types of jobs and this type of manufacturing here in the city that I grew up in. It’s great for me because I live in Brooklyn Heights. I can walk to the office every single day,” he said.

At 30-years-old, he’s found his purpose recognizing the need for a new way to treat wounds.

“When you have something that just works, you don’t have to put a lot of effort into it beyond making sure that you get it where it needs to go,” he said.