Does Fish Skin Reduce Scarring From Plastic Surgery?

REYKJAVIK, ICELAND and ISAFJORDUR, ICELAND--(Marketwired - Jan 24, 2014) - Kerecis Limited, the emerging leader in tissue-regeneration materials, and the University Hospital of Iceland will collaborate on tissue-regeneration research, starting with research on scarring. The collaboration contract was signed today at the annual conference of the Association of Icelandic Doctors.

The first research project will be an assessment of skin scarring on donor wound sites after surgical transplants using the Kerecis MariGen Omega3 tissue-regeneration product. Further trials are planned in areas such as chronic wound repair, hernia repair, dura repair and breast reconstruction.

The first Kerecis product, MariGen Omega3 Wound is indicated for the management of chronic wounds including diabetic, vascular and other hard-to-heal wounds. The product is produced in Iceland from fish locally harvested in the North Atlantic waters. MariGen Omega3 Wound is available for sale in Iceland, the UK and several Middle Eastern markets. The company will soon be expanding distribution to other markets.

MariGen Omega3 products are intact, decellularized fish skin sheets that have had all cells and antigenic materials removed. Fish skin is largely made from the same material as human skin, with the addition of Omega3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

When inserted into or onto damaged human tissue, the MariGen Omega3 products recruit the body's own cells, are incorporated into the wound, and ultimately are converted into functional, living tissue.

Statements:

Dr. Pall Matthiasson (MD), Chief Executive, University Hospital of Iceland:
"The University Hospital is committed to advancing medical science. Kerecis is an emerging leader in the field of tissue reconstruction. We hope that collaborating with them will make new and improved medical products available to solve unmet clinical needs globally."

Dr. Baldur Tumi Baldursson (PhD) (MD), Kerecis Medical Director:
"We are working to establish the MariGen Omega3 material platform as the biomaterial of choice across multiple medical operations where synthetic mesh has traditionally been used. The research collaboration with the University Hospital will make it easier for us to start and execute new trials."

Dr. Hilmar Kjartansson (MD), Kerecis Director for Clinical R&D:
"The first clinical trial that we will execute under this collaboration agreement is a study of scarring in donor site wounds where skin has been removed to transplant to other sites on the body. We have seen indications in earlier trials that scarring has been reduced, and hope to show a statistical benefit when compared to standard treatment in this trial."

About Kerecis

Kerecis develops and produces tissue-regeneration biologic matrixes consisting of Omega3-containing fish skin. Biologic matrixes are materials made from human or animal tissue where the original material is still intact, but all cells and antigenic materials have been removed. The patent-pending Kerecis fish-skin material accelerates wound healing and enables tissue reconstruction. The material addresses the large, so-far-unmet need of the double-digit-growth biologics segment of the chronic-wounds, hernia-repair, breast-reconstruction, dura-repair and dermatology markets. Development programs involve the creation of regenerative technologies for repairing damaged tissue in vivo, as well as growing the tissues and organs in vitro and implanting them into the patient at a later stage.

The novel Kerecis material offers advantages over existing human- and porcine-derived products, including improved manufacturing economics and a lower risk of disease transfer. Since it is derived from fish, the material is both kosher and halal compatible, eliminating cultural and religious constraints to usage, with equivalent or better clinical performance than alternative approaches. Patents are pending for the Kerecis material in multiple countries around the world.

For more information on Kerecis, go to www.kerecis.com, e-mail: info@kerecis.com or call 703-879-6535 (U.S.) or +354-8494960 (Iceland).

About the University Hospital of Iceland

The University Hospital of Iceland serves the total Icelandic population. The company has 4,500 employees based on two main locations in the capital Reykjavik. The research emphasis of the hospital is both basic and clinical, and an estimated 400 scientific projects are ongoing at the hospital. Researchers work in cooperation with companies and research institutes all over the world.