Project Summary
To develop a new wound dressing for the treatment of chronic wounds.
The main researcher for this project is Dr Jelena Rnjak-Kovacina.
What is the issue for NSW?
Chronic wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers or venous ulcers are painful wounds that do not heal. They cause a significant healthcare burden in NSW and across Australia, affecting 400,000 people and costing the healthcare system $3 billion each year.
Chronic wounds are associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease. They disproportionally affect low socioeconomic status, rural and Indigenous populations.
Chronic wounds are very painful, expensive to treat and result in very low quality of life for the patient.
Current treatments for chronic wounds are not effective as they do not address two main issues that prevent wounds from healing: persistent wound inflammation and poor blood supply.
What does the research aim to do and how?
This research aims to develop and test a novel cost-effective dressing for the treatment of chronic wounds that actively promotes wound healing by addressing the dysregulated inflammation and blood supply in the wound bed.