San Antonio, USA, June 21, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Keraplast Technologies announced today publication of important findings on the role of keratin protein in skin biology and wound care. In an article in the peer reviewed journal Experimental Dermatology entitled "Wool-derived keratin stimulates human keratinocyte migration and types IV and VII collagen expression" scientists from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine determined that particular keratin proteins isolated from New Zealand wool encouraged skin cell growth in model wounds and encouraged expression of particular collagens important for the development of healthy skin structure.
"This is a very significant finding" said Clinical Director, Dr Robert Allen Smith. "Patients and medical professionals caring for a wide range of chronic and acute wounds have seen faster and better healing resulting from the use of our Replicine Functional Keratin products for some time, and this excellent research explains how this technology is helping the skin create its own healthy structure". Chief Scientific Officer Dr Rob Kelly added "collagen 4 and collagen 7 are essential for a strong dermal epidermal junction in the skin. In some forms of the skin condition Epidermolysis Bullosa this junction is very weak, leading to fragile skin. Replicine Functional Keratin appears to help make this junction more robust, improving the quality of life for some patients with this condition. This research has shown us how this is happening." Chief Executive Officer Michael Espensen said "Keraplast Technologies has undertaken significant medical research over many years. We believe peer review scientific publication to be the gold standard in validating new knowledge. Our medical products are founded on this platform and we apply the same standard of proven efficacy to all of our products." He added "skin care products, for example, are often marketed with little genuine science behind them, particularly those containing proteins and peptides. Keraplast Technologies does not take this approach. Instead we apply the standards of medical science so our customers know that Replicine Functional Keratin will deliver the results our claims promise." Dr Kelly commented "previous research on skin appearance has shown that collagens 4 and 7 are degraded when wrinkles form in ageing skin. Our wound care research shows we can help the skin make more of these particular collagens at the right part of the skin. This wound care development has significant implications for reducing wrinkles and improving skin structure."
Keraplast Technologies LLC, a privately held company founded in 1996, is the world's leading developer and manufacturer of keratin products. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Keraplast manufactures
Replicine™ Functional Keratin® wound care products with FDA and CE mark clearance for sale around the world, as well as a wide range of skin care, hair care and nutritional solutions using proprietary keratin technology.