How can you promote wound healing with biomaterials?

It is important to note the timing to control inflammation. For example: Early stage: biomaterials as scavengers of signals Middle stage: biomaterials as inhibitors/blockers Middle late stage: biomaterials as delivery systems for anti-inflammatory agents, as described also in the article on the left.

Before biomaterials have a shot mimicking human skin, we need to address the research gap on skin stiffness. Read my thesis on lumbar skin strain, it goes over this. In short, current research does NOT have accurate in vivo human skin stiffness models accurate above 10% strain. Those Ogden, Mooney rivlin, and other models break down above 10% or were done ex vivo, nor have the finite element models been proven experimentally. Can't mimic what we still don't understand. We've got a long way to go.

Biomaterials adding to wound healing must also provide physical support and possess specific mechanical properties like appropriate mechanical strength, flexibility, porosity, structure, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. For example, suitable tensile strength supports to withstand mechanical stress without losing shape. Flexibility on the other hand will allow to fit the wound´s shape.

I would like to highlight the role of the pace of cell proliferation and differentiation. During the early stages, cell proliferation is essential to replace lost cells. As healing progresses, biomaterials designed to promote timely differentiation can lead to more robust and functional tissue regeneration. However, different wounds may require different strategies: acute wounds benefit from biomaterials that support initial proliferation and then guide differentiation, while chronic wounds with impaired proliferation might need biomaterials that swiftly induce differentiation. The ability of biomaterials to adjust their cues to support both proliferation and differentiation can greatly enhance their effectiveness in tissue regeneration.

Let's add biomaterials with hemostatic or antibacterial properties into the equation. Wound healing is a multifaceted process comprising hemostasis, inflammation, tissue regeneration, and tissue remodeling. Consequently, a wide range of biomaterials can be customized to support the different stages of wound healing. It's important to highlight that infection often poses a significant obstacle to the wound healing process. Therefore, biomaterials that promote tissue regeneration while preventing infection play a pivotal role in tissue restoration.

I would like to add a reminder, that the regulatory strategy and the regulatory pathway for your biomaterial supporting wound healing is important too. Depending on the type of biomaterial, the intended use, and the underlying mechanism of action impact in a huge way your time-to-market and market access strategy. Without a market access strategy, all your considerations can stay in the university classroom or a science book. Talk to regulatory scientists early during your development stage to learn what risk-based evidence is needed to make your scientific idea one that will enhance the quality of life of patients as a treatment.