Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast have developed a novel 3D printed bandage, or scaffold, designed to treat diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), a severe complication of diabetes.
The research, which is the first of its kind, promises significant improvements in diabetes management and has been published in the journal Biomaterials Advances.
The newly developed scaffold combines lipid nanoparticles and hydrogels to create a skin-like structure capable of releasing antibiotic-loaded molecules both in bulk and in a sustained manner.
This innovation could drastically improve patient outcomes while providing a more sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective treatment method. In future applications, these scaffolds could be readily produced within hospital settings.
Benefits for Medical Professionals and Patients
This approach not only reduces time required by medical professionals but also enhances patient care.
The wound dressing can be monitored and provide treatment without needing to be frequently removed and replaced for check-ups, which typically disrupt the healing process.
Approximately 25% of individuals with diabetes suffer from DFUs, a condition that often leads to lower limb amputation when over half of the identified cases are already infected.
Conventional treatments include skin alternatives and wound dressings, but these can be costly, often unsuccessful, and lead to significant clinical burdens.
3D Bioprinting to the Rescue
The team used a 3D bioprinting technique to create the scaffold, combining two different bioinks into a single filament.
The inner core contains lipid nanoparticles encapsulated with thyme oil within a nanocomposite hydrogel, while the outer shell is a hybrid hydrogel enriched with free thyme oil.
Essential oils such as thyme oil offer a promising solution to the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance, serving as natural antibiotic replacements.
The design allows for a bulk release of the drug molecule in the first 24 hours, followed by a sustained release over the next ten days.
This strategy enables immediate disease prevention post-administration and continued infection prevention over an extended period.
“This innovative, personalized, and sustainable approach provides the healing needed for diabetic foot ulcers, to avoid complications,” said Professor Dimitrios Lamprou, lead on the project and Chair of Biofabrication and Advanced Manufacturing from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast.
“Medical professionals do not need to change the drug dosage as this double release supports that need.”
Dr. Matthew Wylie, Lecturer from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast, noted that this strategy’s promising initial antibacterial results highlight its potential in preventing bacterial colonization during crucial early stages of wound healing and ensuring longer-term wound protection.
This improved wound management could reduce reliance on traditional antibiotic therapy, thereby helping combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about a cure for type 2 diabetes, and green tea could help reduce the death risk of diabetes.
For more information about diabetes, please see recent studies about bone drugs that could lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, and results showing eating more eggs linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
The study was published in Biomaterials Advances.
Follow us on Twitter for more articles about this topic.
Copyright © 2023 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
