SHOOTING FOR THE STARS: THE REVOLUTIONARY GEL THAT'S CHANGING EMERGENCY MEDICINE

Modern technology, for instance, can literally save lives – such is the power of science, and of innovation brought to bear on medicine. Imagine a scenario ripped from the pages of Star Trek: a gel could instantly stop life-threatening bleeding from bullet wounds. A new sci-fi blockbuster? No. The stuff of reality: Traumagel, an algae-based gel that could become science fiction brought to life.

THE BIRTH OF TRAUMAGEL: A LEAP FORWARD IN HEMORRHAGE CONTROL

Most recently, the Food and Drug Administration has approved Cresilon’s Traumagel as the first medical product to quickly stop moderate to severe haemorrhaging. Based on a hydrogel made from algae, Cresilon’s products are emerging from their Brooklyn labs. They are not the only ones converting natural hydrogel systems. Cresilon’s first product, Hematic Gel, has already shown promise in the treatment of blood loss. Traumagel, the company’s most recent product, will be used to treat gunshot and stab wounds, as well as injuries related to vehicular accidents.

WHY TRAUMAGEL STANDS OUT AMONG THE STARS

Approval for Traumagel by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hinges on the results of preclinical studies that demonstrate ‘equivalent or better efficacy than the standard of care for wounds’, but it’s the speed of onset – in seconds – that is trumpeted: it’s easy to apply (also with pre-filled syringe), doesn’t involve having to press on the wound, so it will work with any type of haemorrhage.

THE STAR TECHNOLOGY BEHIND TRAUMAGEL

Traumagel, Cresilon’s creation, employs a proprietary hemostatic gel technology as its active ingredient, one of the most effective hemostatic biologics available on the market today. While QuikClot had a head start, the superior speed and efficacy of Cresilon’s technology might very well be the difference between life and death in cases of traumatic injury – and it may well end up being a game-changer.

A STELLAR VISION FOR EMERGENCY MEDICINE

Traumagel’s journey is only just beginning. Cresilon hopes to begin rolling it out to the US military, health organisations and emergency responders by late 2024. Meanwhile, Cresilon, with support from the US Defense Department, is working to develop products to address serious brain haemorrhages and injuries. As with stopping bleeding, these represent areas where emergency care and trauma treatment have lagged, but ones where Cresilon is ready to lead the way.

EXPLORING THE COSMOS: GEL-BASED TECHNOLOGIES IN MEDICINE

Traumagel, from the California-based startup Cresilon, is one of the first products in what is likely to be a major new area of medical technologies based on gels. Other promising applications include healing bandages, male contraception and the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. It’s a promising new area where researchers appear to be finding new possibilities, not just for more effective treatment, but for more humane and accessible treatment.

TRAUMAGEL: A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE

If the story of Traumagel doesn’t yet conclude with cessation of bleeding, it does point the way to a future in which emergency care will no longer be constrained by the limitations of today’s battlefield medicine, but by how quickly emergency responders can harness evolving technologies to interface more accurately with the technologically augmented bodies of tomorrow’s trauma victims, either at war or at home. And that day cannot come soon enough.

UNDERSTANDING THE STAR OF THE SHOW: TRAUMAGEL

The narrative upon which it streamsbeds is about a product, yes, but also a paradigm shift represented by Traumagel. Grounded in the algae’s natural healing properties, it symbolises ingenuity, promise, the dawn of a new era in emergency medicine. The stars are as shining bright as they will ever be now on the brink of this new era. Our future is blinding, a future lit by technology’s mastery of our abilities to keep each other alive.

In sum, Traumagel is not just a product, but a leap in the dark, a star that shines ahead to light the way for emergency medicine. It is an attempt to switch on the future, the way we imagine it, the future that will come true.