Japanese researchers find cold-water fish gelatin makes ideal surgical sealants

In Japan, researchers at the University of Tsukuba have developed a technology to produce improved surgical sealants using gelatin of cold-water fish in particular (e.g. cod, hake, Alaska pollock and salmon) because the biomaterial basically makes the sealants waterproof. Tests performed on mice and pig tissue performed well, with the material biodegrading in eight weeks when used subcutaneously. And unlike other bio-based sealants like those made from pigs and cattle, the cold-water fish versions didn’t need to be heated up before use.