A wound dressing based on extracts from seaweed and crab shells is in the process of being commercialized by medical dressings firm Sumed (International) in the UK.
Scientists at the Centre for Materials Research and Innovation (CMRI) at the University of Bolton in the UK developed the new material, called Chitocel, over a period of four years.
The alginate extracted from a particular type of seaweed has excellent liquid absorption properties, which are important in wound dressings.
The body produces its own natural defence to wounds, for example plasma, and this needs to be absorbed and held away from the skin, according to the leader of the research project, Dr ...