Plant-based Gel Promptly Checks Bleeding

Framed in the context of severe battlefield injuries, the ability to stop traumatic bleeding in three minutes is life-saving. As explained in this TEDGlobal video, that time frame can be scaled down to seconds with smart biomaterials developed by Suneris, a Brooklyn, NY-based biotech company. A plant-derived polymer gel accelerates the clotting process by adapting to and mimicking the extracellular matrix at wound sites. The initial users of VETIGEL will be veterinarians, and with U.S. Federal Drug Administration approval could soon be in the hands of military and emergency medical personnel.