New Biomaterials Could Promote Natural Wound Healing
While doctors have various materials on hand to dress wounds, researchers continue to look for ways to improve those supplies. A recent development from a team at Imperial College London involves a new molecule that can change how traditional wound care materials react with the body. By interacting with tissues as healing takes place, the molecule can promote accelerated yet natural wound healing.The researchers named the new molecules traction force-activated payloads, or TrAPs for short. They're designed to connect wound care dressings and other materials to the body's natural repair systems, allowing the pair to work together to promote healing.
The Increasing Importance of Interdisciplinary Wound Care
It is increasingly recognized and accepted that wounds are both common and expensive in clinical practice. Recent publications have suggested that up to 10% of NHS [National Health Service] expenditure in the United Kingdom is directed towards treating patients with wound healing difficulties. Although the cost of the products used to affect wound healing is significant, the majority of the costs are driven by the inefficient, fragmented and haphazard way in which services are provided to patients with wounds.
