A team of researchers from the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI) and the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) has been awarded a $2.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a superior, multi-pronged wound treatment for diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).

“The microarchitecture of the dressing plays a pivotal role in rapid wound healing,” said TIBI scientist and principal investigator Johnson V. John, PhD. A more porous microstructure accelerates the migration of cells to the wound site to regenerate tissue and promote vascularization, or formation of blood vessels, for fast wound repair and closure. TIBI’s treatment approach contains a specific microarchitecture that accelerates wound healing, as well as novel small protein molecules, or peptides, to improve vascularization and infection control.

According to TIBI’s Director and CEO, Ali Khademhosseini, PhD, the dressing will be a more effective, versatile, less costly, and self-administered treatment which will not only increase compliance, but will greatly improve patients’ quality of life.