Employing the art of nanotechnology in wound healing
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract/Artist Statement
The current technology for improved wound healing lags behind the needs and requirements for effective wound dressings even the costs already exceed $50 billion annually (just in the US). An optimal wound dressing has to: 1) serve as a protective barrier on the wound to assist the healing process, 2) require minimal changes to reduce pain and potential for infections, and 3) provide a sustained and controlled release of medications to facilitate wound healing. In order to achieve these goals, research is being conducted to improve wound dressing drug delivery. The major challenge with the current wound dressings is a phenomenon called drug burst release. Drug burst release is a rapid initial release of the drug from a wound dressing resulting in delivery of all the medication at once, hence decreasing the efficiency of a single dressing. The objective of my research is to develop technology resulting in a more prolonged delivery of medications in a format that would be suitable for wound dressings. To achieve this goal would require using nanotechnology in the form of a fiber mat containing an inner core with silver nanoparticles within a shell. The silver nanoparticles serve as an effective anti-bacterial agent. It also requires forming pores in the shell when placed on the wound to allow the silver to be released to the wound. (This structure resembles a garden hose that contains water that cannot be released until holes are punched through the surface allowing the water to slowly seep out.) The major challenges to develop this technology are creation of the shell-core structure and ability to form pores.
I have been able to produce a fiber mat and load the silver nanoparticles (diameter ~20 nm) in the core of the fibers. The core-shell structure of individual fibers was visualized by adding fluorescent dye inside the core. The outer diameter of the fibers is about 1400 nm and the inner diameter is about 800 nm. I have been able to form pores (diameter ~ 170 nm) on the surface of the fibers by using a mixture of a soluble polymer and nanoparticles. The fabricated fiber mat (wound dressing) released 34% of the loaded silver nanoparticles in a period of three days. The obtained results are promising in terms of a prolonged drug release. Furthermore, the antibacterial activity of the fabricated wound dressing was shown to be effective by killing bacteria in less than two hours.
Electrospun fiber mats have a flexible and porous structure with high surface area, which allows for liquid and gas permeability. These characteristics of fiber mats facilitate hemostasis, cell respiration, regulated moisture level, and a suitable bacterial barrier. The resulting wound dressing provides a prolonged drug delivery to the wound site, which decreases the need to frequently change the dressing. Less frequent dressing changes will result in a decrease in patients’ discomfort, care costs, further tissue damage, and the risk of infections. Funding: P30GM103338.
Mentor Name
Andrij Holian
Employing the art of nanotechnology in wound healing
UC 333
The current technology for improved wound healing lags behind the needs and requirements for effective wound dressings even the costs already exceed $50 billion annually (just in the US). An optimal wound dressing has to: 1) serve as a protective barrier on the wound to assist the healing process, 2) require minimal changes to reduce pain and potential for infections, and 3) provide a sustained and controlled release of medications to facilitate wound healing. In order to achieve these goals, research is being conducted to improve wound dressing drug delivery. The major challenge with the current wound dressings is a phenomenon called drug burst release. Drug burst release is a rapid initial release of the drug from a wound dressing resulting in delivery of all the medication at once, hence decreasing the efficiency of a single dressing. The objective of my research is to develop technology resulting in a more prolonged delivery of medications in a format that would be suitable for wound dressings. To achieve this goal would require using nanotechnology in the form of a fiber mat containing an inner core with silver nanoparticles within a shell. The silver nanoparticles serve as an effective anti-bacterial agent. It also requires forming pores in the shell when placed on the wound to allow the silver to be released to the wound. (This structure resembles a garden hose that contains water that cannot be released until holes are punched through the surface allowing the water to slowly seep out.) The major challenges to develop this technology are creation of the shell-core structure and ability to form pores.
I have been able to produce a fiber mat and load the silver nanoparticles (diameter ~20 nm) in the core of the fibers. The core-shell structure of individual fibers was visualized by adding fluorescent dye inside the core. The outer diameter of the fibers is about 1400 nm and the inner diameter is about 800 nm. I have been able to form pores (diameter ~ 170 nm) on the surface of the fibers by using a mixture of a soluble polymer and nanoparticles. The fabricated fiber mat (wound dressing) released 34% of the loaded silver nanoparticles in a period of three days. The obtained results are promising in terms of a prolonged drug release. Furthermore, the antibacterial activity of the fabricated wound dressing was shown to be effective by killing bacteria in less than two hours.
Electrospun fiber mats have a flexible and porous structure with high surface area, which allows for liquid and gas permeability. These characteristics of fiber mats facilitate hemostasis, cell respiration, regulated moisture level, and a suitable bacterial barrier. The resulting wound dressing provides a prolonged drug delivery to the wound site, which decreases the need to frequently change the dressing. Less frequent dressing changes will result in a decrease in patients’ discomfort, care costs, further tissue damage, and the risk of infections. Funding: P30GM103338.