ANIMAL MAGIC

How animals are changing medicine

THIS week: Fish skin ‘plaster’ to heal wounds

IT MIGHT sound odd, but plasters made from fish skin are a licensed medical treatment for hard-to-heal wounds.

The plaster, called Kerecis Omega3, is made from cod skin processed to remove all cells, but still retain its structure, as well as its high content of omega 3 oils.

This fatty acid has anti-inflammatory properties, while cod skin itself has a structure that closely resembles human skin. Once the plaster is placed on a wound, it helps the body’s own repair cells build a new layer of human skin, sealing the wound in the process. Over time, the fish skin graft dissolves. Last year, Swedish doctors told a conference in Atlanta they used cod skin therapy on seven patients with hard-to-heal wounds. One case involved a woman whose wound had been open for 20 years — she was due to have her leg amputated. Eight weeks after using the plaster, it had healed. All seven saw their wounds close.