R01DK131302

Telemetric Regenerative Bandage for Accelerating Wound Healing - Summary

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a major complication of diabetes. These sores, if left untreated, can become infected and pose a serious threat to the patient's well-being. Although the field of wound care management is well established, the effective treatment of chronic DFUs remains a challenge.

The primary goal in the treatment of DFUs is for the wound to close as soon as possible and in a durable way. However, prolonged inflammation, oxidative tissue damage, and impaired blood circulation in diabetic wounds delay the wound healing process. This results in open, non-healing wounds that often lead to limb amputations.

This proposal aims to address these problems by developing a versatile wound dressing. The dressing will restore normal wound healing rates by reducing free radicals in the wound, providing a native-like scaffold for cells to divide and migrate, and enhancing vascularization in the wound.

Another problem is the inability to monitor the wound in real time after the patient leaves the hospital, which can lead to digit or limb amputations. To address this issue, a wireless system will be developed to monitor the temperature and pH of the wound in real time. These parameters have been shown to be indicators of infection.

Therefore, the overall goal of this proposal is to develop a shape-conforming antioxidant dressing that transforms into a gel upon exposure to body temperature. This gel promotes new tissue formation in diabetic wounds. Additionally, a feedback system involving tissue-conforming sensors will be developed to monitor bacterial infection and/or lack of healing.

To achieve this goal, a novel macromolecule called poly (polyethylene glycol citrate-co-N isopropyl acrylamide) (PPCN-A5G81) has been developed. This material incorporates a laminin-derived peptide and supports tissue regeneration. It can conform to the unique shape and depth of a wound.

In terms of wireless monitoring of the wound, flexible and stretchable electronic sensors have been pioneered. These sensors can be integrated with human skin or implanted into the body for continuous, non-invasive health monitoring and treatment of disease.

The hypotheses of this research are: 1) incorporating immobilized Cu2+ into PPCN-A5G81 will confer vasculoinductive properties that significantly increase its ability to restore normal healing rates of full-thickness dermal wounds in diabetic mouse and swine models; and 2) conforming temperature and pH sensors are safe and can remotely provide real-time information regarding blood perfusion and infection in dermal wounds in diabetic animals.

The specific aims of this proposal are to: 1) fabricate a PPCN-based regenerative dressing with vasculoinductive, dermoconductive, and dermoinductive properties and investigate its safety and efficacy for healing full-thickness wounds in diabetic mice and diabetic pigs with metabolic syndrome; and 2) fabricate and characterize telemetric wound feedback tissue-conforming sensors capable of measuring temperature and pH in infected and non-infected diabetic dermal wounds.

The results from this research will contribute to the development of innovative clinical products that reduce amputation rates and improve patient outcomes.

Northwestern University

NOT APPLICABLE

93.847 - Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) [HHS - NIH]

Evanston, Illinois 602080834 United States

Single Zip Code

NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PA-20-185)

Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been extended from 07/31/26 to 07/31/27 and the total obligations have increased 399% from $648,960 to $3,240,738.