Scientists Develop Gel That Heals Diabetic Wounds Faster

It is good news for both the science community and suffers, the development by a group of scientists, of a gel that heals diabetic wounds faster.

Described by First-of-its-kind cell therapy, it promotes wound healing, improves overall wound health and lowers risks of recurrence

A Science Daily report says scientists of the National University of Singapore engineered the development of the gel.

It describes the gel as an innovative magnetic wound-healing discovery , with promise to heal diabetic wounds three times faster, reduce the rates of recurrence, and in turn, lower the incidents of limb amputations.

It says the gel contains skin cells for healing as well as magnetic particles, a comprehensive ‘all-in-one’ approach to healing of diabetic wounds, accelerating the process on several fronts.

To maximize therapeutic results, a wireless external magnetic device is used to activate skin cells and accelerate the wound healing process.

A comprehensive report on the gel says it would indeed be helpful of diabetic patients, especially given that since their natural wound-healing capabilities are compromised, they often develop chronic wounds that are slow to heal.

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Such non-healing wounds could cause serious infections resulting in painful outcomes such as limb amputation.

“ To address this global healthcare challenge, a team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) engineered an innovative magnetic wound-healing gel that promises to accelerate the healing of diabetic wounds, reduce the rates of recurrence, and in turn, lower the incidents of limb amputations.

“Each treatment involves the application of a bandage pre-loaded with a hydrogel containing skin cells for healing and magnetic particles.

“To maximise therapeutic results, a wireless external magnetic device is used to activate skin cells and accelerate the wound healing process.

“The ideal duration of magnetic stimulation is about one to two hours”, the report said..

According to Science Daily, lab tests showed the treatment coupled with magnetic stimulation healed diabetic wounds about three times faster than current conventional approaches.

It said that while the research has focused on healing diabetic foot ulcers, the technology has potential for treating a wide range of complex wounds such as burns.

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“Conventional dressings do not play an active role in healing wounds,” said Assistant Professor Andy Tay, who leads the team comprising researchers from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at NUS College of Design and Engineering as well as the NUS Institute for Health Innovation & Technology.

“They merely prevent the wound from worsening and patients need to be scheduled for dressing change every two or three days. It is a huge cost to our healthcare system and an inconvenience to patients.”

In contrast, the unique NUS invention takes a comprehensive ‘all-in-one’ approach to wound healing, accelerating the process on several fronts.

“Our technology addresses multiple critical factors associated with diabetic wounds, simultaneously managing elevated glucose levels in the wound area, activating dormant skin cells near the wound, restoring damaged blood vessels, and repairing the disrupted vascular network within the wound,” explained Asst Prof Tay.

The NUS team described their innovation in a paper published in the scientific journal, Advanced Materials, on 8 September 2023.

The research was conducted in collaboration with scientists from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Nanyang Technological University, Sun Yat-sen University and Wuhan University of Technology.