Research that biomaterials may prove key to healing chronic wounds in people with diabetes was presented on day three of the 24th European Conference on Biomaterials, held September 4-8. More than 950 delegates attended the event in Dublin, Ireland, which was jointly hosted by the National University of Ireland (NUI) Galway’s Network of Excellence for Functional Biomaterials (NFB) and the University of Ulster, Jordanstown, Ireland.
Delivering therapeutic genes using a new biomaterial-based delivery system to the site of chronic wounds in people with diabetes may enhance wound healing. Researchers at the NFB hope that technology being developed at the university may reduce the rate of limb amputation and morbidity in diabetic patients.
The major reason behind the failure of current wound-treatment regimens is rooted in the fact that diabetes affects all of the wound-healing cells, not only functionally but also genetically. This molecular disarray is not completely understood, so treatment protocols aimed at rectifying the genetic problem are needed for tangible therapeutic benefit.
Researchers at the NFB are investigating the genetic dysregulation but also combined novel and complementary genes to normalize wound healing.
The work has found that success of the gene therapy depends largely on how it is delivered. The gene delivery system developed provides a protective scaffold and allows controlled delivery with components carrying different genes and degrading at different rates. The gene delivery method is, in effect, micron-size spheres embedded in mesh made from protein fibers, “fibrin in fibrin,” a tiny but very complex biomaterial product.
Overall results are encouraging with enhanced wound closure, complemented by increased blood vessel formation and reduced inflammation.
“We envision that the combined new gene therapy and delivery system can aid in reducing the amputation rate by enhancing wound healing,” said Mangesh Kulkarni, a doctoral student in the NUI Galway NFB department. “This has the potential to make a real change when applied to chronic diabetic wounds. Since the components of the system have a relatively good safety profile, clinical trials can be conducted to prove the therapeutic benefit in human patients.”
Editor’s note: This story has been adapted from materials provided by the National University of Ireland Galway.
