U.S. military health providers will learn about use of fish skin to treat combat wounds and in brain surgery
Kissimmee, Florida – August 29, 2017 – Kerecis will present key findings of research into fish-skin treatments for the care of severely wounded service members during the 2017 Military Health System Research Symposium. The research was funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command.
The goal of the research is to establish the efficacy of the Kerecis Omega3-rich fish skin to cover limbs injured or lost by explosives, and for dura repair after head trauma. The fish skin will be used to cover limb injuries from the time the medic first treats the service member until the patient is in a full-service hospital and after debridement as a skin-graft substitute. The dura-repair fish-skin technology will be used in a combat hospital setting where severe head traumas are treated.
The need for improved remedies for severe wounds and head trauma has intensified with the increased amount of insurgent warfare. Head traumas and death rates related to burn and blast injuries in such warfare are higher than in conventional battlefield conditions, partially because of the extensive use of improvised explosive devices.
The Kerecis Omega3 fish skin is already FDA approved for treating burns and other wounds. “The trial results presented on the conference literally put our fish-skin-based technology on the ‘front line’ for treating more serious trauma and will help us expand our regulatory approvals at the FDA to new indications. Kerecis is committed to developing better remedies for injured U.S. service members, and to providing good research value for the DoD,” explained Fertram Sigurjonsson, Founder and CEO, Kerecis.
About Kerecis Omega3 in the Treatment of Wounds
“Cadaver skin has been the preferred initial treatment for severe burns,“ explained Dr. Hilmar Kjartansson, Medical Director at Kerecis. “It is commonly used in hospitals, where skin grafting is the preferred way to treat stabilized burn wounds. However, on the battlefield or in other combat conditions, it’s not practical to use cadaver skin or skin grafts.”
The research capitalizes on the characteristics of the FDA-approved Kerecis Omega3 Wound product, intact fish skin that is rich in naturally occurring Omega3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.
About Kerecis Omega3 in the Treatment of Head Trauma
“The dural membrane surrounds the brain and contains the brain fluids,” explained Dr. Kjartansson. “In severe head trauma the dural membrane is damaged and needs to be restored to contain the brain fluids. At the conference we will present the results of a large animal trial where the efficacy of the Kerecis Omega3-rich fish skin is established as a dura patch.”
Research Presentations
Tuesday, August 29, 2017, at 15:30, in the TBI Treatment & Emerging Care breakout session, Dr. Ingvar Olafsson will present the results of a large ovine study where Kerecis Omega3 fish skin was used successfully to treat dural defects. The results show minimal inflammatory response, good tissue integration and neodura formation. Dr. Olafsson is a neurosurgeon at Landspitali University Hospital in Iceland.
Wednesday, August 30, 2017, at 08:30, in plenary session A, Lt. Col. SLA Jeffery, RAMC, will present results of a comparative burn study where fish skin and cadaver skin were compared in a porcine model. Lt. Col. SLA Jeffery is a burns and plastic surgeon consultant at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK.
About the Military Health System Research Symposium
The MHSRS, the Department of Defense’s premier scientific meeting, is a venue for communicating and discussing new scientific knowledge resulting from military-unique research and development. The annual event is the only military or civilian meeting that focuses specifically on the unique medical needs of the Warfighter. MHSRS is sponsored by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.
