Kerecis Omega3 Fish Skin Wound Grafts Recruit Significantly More Cells Than a Leading Amnion Membrane Wound Treatment Brand

LAS VEGAS, NV--(Marketwired - Sep 25, 2015) - Kerecis, the company using fish skin to heal human wounds and tissue damage, will present recent laboratory results, demonstrating that significantly more cells proliferate into acellular fish skin than a leading amnion membrane wound treatment brand on the market. These findings are the results of research done at the Center for System Biology at the University of Iceland. The presentation will take place during Kerecis' U.S. market launch at the Symposium for the Advancement of Wound Care (SAWC) held September 26 - 28 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

"Amnion membrane products have enjoyed increased clinical adoption in recent years. However, laboratory results show that, over time, more cells migrate into fish skin than into amnion membrane products. This supports feedback we have received from wound treatment specialists about the superior clinical outcome enjoyed by acellular fish skin," said Dr. Baldur Tumi Baldursson, Kerecis medical director.

Specifically, Kerecis will present scientific results that show:

• 150% more cells migrate into Kerecis Omega3 acellular fish skin than into a leading amnion membrane wound treatment brand.
• Kerecis Omega3 acellular fish skin effectively recruits cells and stem cells into its structure where they support normal physiological healing of tissue damage in essential ways.
• In a randomized controlled human study on 162 wounds, those treated with Kerecis Omega3 acellular fish skin closed significantly faster than wounds treated with a competitive product, with up to twice as many wounds closed at the study time points.

About Kerecis
Kerecis is the developer of regenerative technologies based on fish skin and Omega3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Kerecis Omega3 is acellular, Omega3-rich, intact fish skin used to regenerate damaged human tissue. The Kerecis technology provides a natural structure that contains proteins and fats (including Omega3) and other skin elements in its natural structure. Cells and stem cell migrate into the Kerecis material where they create new tissue to seal the wound. Research has shown that cells proliferate faster in this structure than in other materials such as mammalian-sourced materials.

The Kerecis Omega3 materials are fundamentally different from other biologic materials on the market as no disease transmission risk exists from fish to humans. This allows for gentle processing of the material as opposed to harsh chemical treatment of mammalian-based skin substitutes that denature the materials, remove all natural fats from the tissues and leave behind inert structural proteins.

A recent randomized, controlled study concluded that wounds treated with the Kerecis fish-skin product close significantly faster than wounds treated with a leading porcine-derived product. After 14 days, fully twice as many of the wounds treated with Kerecis Omega3 had closed than the wounds treated with the competitive product (Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds, March 19, 2015).

The initial Kerecis product, Kerecis Omega3 Wound, has been approved by the FDA and European regulatory authorities for wound healing. The technology is patented in the United States, and patents are pending in multiple countries. In 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded the Kerecis wound-healing product a "Q" code (Q4158), allowing it to be easily identified and processed by Medicare and private insurance companies.

Production takes place in the Kerecis manufacturing facilities in Iceland. For more information, visit www.kerecis.com. Distributor inquiries are welcome.