Wound Exudates and their Interactions with Dressings The MyDress study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The cellular, sub-cellular and transcriptomic characteristics of wounds, wound exudates and wound dressings.
IRAS ID
318917
Contact name
Matteo Santin
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Brighton
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
SSS 143108, Wound healing study
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 9 months, 30 days
Research summary
Chronic wounds (e.g. leg ulcers) remain a global healthcare challenge causing pain, discomfort and reduced quality of life. Despite advances in wound dressing technology, management has remained largely unchanged. As a result, dressings fail to heal over 40% of leg and foot ulcers within six months in the UK, leading to considerable morbidity, mortality and increased NHS costs.
The overall 6-year project seeks to develop a platform for tissue healing and diagnostics at medical device interfaces i.e. a personalised wound dressing model. These ‘smart dressings’ will seek to stimulate tissue repair and report on the body’s healing processes. Key to this new approach is the addition of a layer of modified biomaterials known as 'biomimetic macromolecules' to the surface of each dressing. This layer is designed to replicate the patient’s natural tissue structures, kick-starting the body’s healing processes and encouraging new skin and blood cells to form in the wound area.
Before such dressing can be designed an improved understanding of the wound/dressing interface is required to understand the processes that contribute to chronic wounds remaining in a non-healing phase. This part of the project will explore the biochemical and cellular components of wound exudates and how these interact with different types of commercially available dressings presenting different physicochemical properties.
Initially, this project requires the collection of wound exudates and used wound dressings from people with current wounds who are being treated with one of three commonly used groups of dressings (non-resorbable synthetic polymer/ non-resorbable natural polymer/ resorbable natural polymer). Each sample will be laboratory processed and analysed to determine the cellular/subcellular components and underpinning genetic processes that contribute to chronic wounds remaining in a non-healing phase.
REC name
East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/EM/0063
Date of REC Opinion
22 Feb 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion