Kerecis is an Icelandic company that uses fish skins to treat wounds. The decellularized skin of the

Atlantic cod The Atlantic cod (: cod; ''Gadus morhua'') is a fish of the family Gadidae, widely consumed by humans. It is also commercially known as '' cod'' or ''codling''.graft Graft or grafting may refer to: *Graft (politics), a form of political corruption *Graft, Netherlands, a village in the municipality of Graft-De Rijp Science and technology *Graft (surgery), a surgical procedure *Grafting, the joining of plant ti ...

, which increases the elasticity, tensile strength, and compressibility of the wound. Kerecis has subsidiaries in Switzerland and the United States. It is based in

Ísafjörður Ísafjörður (pronounced , meaning ''ice fjord'', literally ''fjord of ices'') is a town in the northwest of Iceland. The oldest part of Ísafjörður with the town centre is located on a spit of sand, or ''eyri'', in Skutulsfjörður, a fjord ...

, Iceland. In July 2023, Kerecis was sold to Danish company

Coloplast Coloplast A/S is a Danish multinational company that develops, manufactures and markets medical devices and services related to ostomy, urology, continence, and wound care. History Coloplast was founded in 1957 by Aage Louis-Hansen. His son N ...

for 1.2 billion USD.

History

Fertram Sigurjonsson observed in 2009 that the skin of the fish and qualities, which are similar to those of

human skin The human skin is the outer covering of the body and is the largest organ of the integumentary system. The skin has up to seven layers of ectodermal tissue (biology), tissue guarding Skeletal muscle, muscles, bones, ligaments and organ (anato ...

, expedited the latter's regeneration, particularly in the case of acute or

chronic wound A chronic wound is a wound A wound is any disruption of or damage to living tissue, such as skin, mucous membranes, or organs. Wounds can either be the sudden result of direct trauma (mechanical, thermal, chemical), or can develop slowly over t ...

s. Based on his discovery, he founded Kereceis in 2013. Kerecis Omega-3 fish skin was cleared for use by the FDA in 2013 for the treatment of chronic and acute wounds. In Europe, Kerecis Omega-3 Wound was first CE marked in 2012. In 2016, Omega3 Wound, a fish skin treatment developed by Kereceis, was approved by the

US Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

. In the same year, Kerecis established headquarters in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

. In 2019, Kerecis acquired Phytoceuticals AG, a Swiss company active in the

life sciences This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, ...

sector, that has since changed its name to Kerecis AG. In the same year,

Emerson Collective Emerson Collective is an organization focused on education, immigration reform, the environment, media and journalism, and health. Founded by billionaire philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, the collective, which operates under a limited liabilit ...

acquired a stake in Kerecis. In 2020, Kerecis received an award given by Vaxtarsprotinn, a joint project of the Confederation of Icelandic Industries, the Confederation of Start-up Companies, Icelandic Research Center, and

Reykjavík University Reykjavík University (RU; , , ) is the largest private university in Iceland with approximately 3,300 students. It is Charter school, chartered by the Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Icelandic Industries, and the Confederation of Icelandi ...

. In 2021, FDA approved Kerecis Omega3 SurgiBind, fish-skin for surgical use that is useful in plastic and reconstructive surgery. The company was valued at more than 100 million euros in 2021. Kereceis also works on medical research with the

US Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except ...

and provides the grafts to branches of the military. In August 2022, Kerecis raised $100 million in funding from investors, including

Kirkbi Kirkbi A/S (Kirkbi) is a Danish investment management company headquartered in Billund, Denmark that serves as a family office to manage the fortune of the Kristiansen family, the current owners of the Lego Group. It owns 75% of The Lego Group, ...

, the investment arm of the Christiansen family that founded Lego Group, valuing the company at $620 million.

References

{{reflist Ísafjörður Medical technology companies of Iceland 2010 establishments in Iceland 2023 mergers and acquisitions