# Multifunctional dressing for treatment of diabetic wounds

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT SCH OF MED/DNT · 2020 · $318,984

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Chronic diabetic wounds (CDW) are one of the most challenging and common medical complications of type-2
diabetes. CDWs are associated with significantly increased costs for healthcare systems and society,
decreased quality of life for patients, higher rates of co-morbidities such as recurrent infections and
amputations, and an overall dramatically higher mortality rate. The wide prevalence of type-2 diabetes and its
constantly increasing impact urgently demand the need for effective treatments aimed at restoring
physiological healing of CDWs and preventing associated co-morbidities and mortality. Insufficient skin
vascularization and infection inhibit effective healing of CDWs. In non-diabetic injuries, physiologic healing
relies on neoangiogenesis and vascularization to restore tissue oxygenation, provide metabolic support to
regenerating cells/tissues, and to allow migration of immune cells to counteract pathogens. Instead, in CDWs
angiogenesis is impaired resulting in tissue hypoxia, lack of the metabolic support required for tissue repair,
and an insufficient immune-response to bacterial infections. These conditions first “lock” CDWs in a chronic
inflammatory state unable to progress to tissue repair and second place the patients at risk of sepsis. In severe
cases, surgical debridement or limb amputation is the only option for saving patients’ lives. Our hypothesis is
that the delivery of VEGF (an angiogenic factor), oxygen combined with on demand release of antibiotics in
response to upregulation of neutrophil secretomes can prevent biofilm formation and in turn can reduce the
CDW morbidity rate. The goal of this proposal is to engineer bandages containing microneedle arrays
that can control release VEGF, oxygen, and can self respond to upregulation of bacteria mediated
neutrophil secretomes for inducing healing and avoiding infection.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9964845
- **Project number:** 5R01GM126831-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT SCH OF MED/DNT
- **Principal Investigator:** Mehmet Remzi Dokmeci
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $318,984
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-06-01 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9964845

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9964845, Multifunctional dressing for treatment of diabetic wounds (5R01GM126831-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9964845. Licensed CC0.

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