Icelandic cod skin technology offers new wound healing treatments

In the Icelandic fishing town of Ísafjörður, entrepreneur and scientist Fertram Sigurjonsson has developed a method to transform Atlantic cod skin into a medically useful product. This technology offers new treatment options for individuals suffering from severe burns, chronic wounds, or diabetic foot ulcers.

While cod skin was traditionally considered a byproduct of fish processing, the large volume of cod caught annually near Iceland—exceeding 200,000 tons—provides a significant source of raw material. Using fish skin as a wound dressing offers several medical advantages over mammalian tissue, such as from pigs or cattle. There are no known viral transmission pathways from cold-water cod to humans, meaning the skin requires only gentle cleaning and freeze-drying rather than intensive processing. This careful handling preserves the natural three-dimensional structure of the skin, allowing it to function effectively as a graft on wounds.