The AquaDerm range of fish skin dressings aims to combine biomaterials with the medical field, using tilapia fish skin, which is treated as a by-product, to provide patients with a low-cost, wound-healing dressing.
In terms of efficacy Tilapia skin has the same type I collagen as human skin, as well as EPA, DHA and omega-3 in the skin to reduce inflammation and promote rapid wound healing. It can be used on different types of wounds, such as lacerations and burns (superficial secondary, deep secondary, superficial tertiary)
Compared to conventional dressings. Shorter recovery period, no need for frequent dressing changes, pain relief, good tension and waterproof breathability.
Cost Tilapia is an invasive species in China, flooding several water bodies in the south.
In the UK, tilapia skins are discarded as a by-product. And it costs money to dispose of fish skins discarded by fisheries.
Tilapia is cheap to utilise and when an industry is formed, it can bring some economic benefits.
Although tilapia skin dressings have been used clinically at this stage, they are not widely available because they are not easy to store and are cumbersome to handle. In this regard, we focus on packaging preservation and user experience optimisation, so that it can be more easily used in everyday scenarios and medical scenarios.
In terms of user experience, the size of the tilapia dressing is limited by the size of the dressing, so we have combined this with a stretchable structure to expand the area of the dressing.We have divided the tilapia dressing into different scenarios for the specific design of the dressing, the daily scenario and the medical scenario.
1. The daily scenario is aimed at small wounds (lacerations, superficial second degree burns, etc.) and is stored in glycerine at room temperature.
2. The medical scenario is designed for large burns (deep second degree burns and shallow third degree burns) and is stored under refrigeration.
