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Wound management materials and technologies from bench to bedside and beyond

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Abstract

Chronic wounds represent a major global health problem, causing staggering economic and social burdens. The pursuit of effective wound healing strategies demands a multidisciplinary approach, and advances in material sciences and bioengineering have paved the way for the development of novel wound healing biomaterials and technologies. In this Review, we provide an overview of the history and challenges of wound management and highlight the current state of the art in wound healing biomaterials alongside the emerging technologies poised to transform the landscape of chronic wound treatment and monitoring. Moreover, we discuss the clinical and commercial considerations associated with wound healing strategies, including the regulatory pathways and key steps in the translational process. Furthermore, we highlight existing translational gaps and offer a nuanced understanding of the challenges that persist in translating innovative concepts into mainstream clinical practices. Continued innovations and interdisciplinary collaboration will pave the way for better wound care outcomes and potentially markedly improved quality of life for a steadily increasing and ageing population.

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Fig. 1: Chronic wound healing and management process.
Fig. 2: A timeline of technology development in chronic wound management.
Fig. 3: Translational materials for wound treatment.
Fig. 4: Materials and technologies for wound analysing and monitoring.

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Acknowledgements

This project was supported by the National Science Foundation grant 2145802, National Institutes of Health grants R01HL155815 and R21DK13266, Army Research Office grant W911NF-23-1-0041, American Cancer Society Research Scholar grant RSG-21-181-01-CTPS, Office of Naval Research grants N00014-21-1-2483 and N00014-21-1-2845 and Heritage Medical Research Institute.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA

    Canran Wang, Ehsan Shirzaei Sani & Wei Gao

  2. Southwestern Academic Limb Salvage Alliance (SALSA), Department of Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Chia-Ding Shih & David G. Armstrong

  3. Institute for Health Innovation & Technology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Chwee Teck Lim

  4. Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Chwee Teck Lim

  5. Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Chwee Teck Lim

  6. Department of Nanoengineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Joseph Wang

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Wang, C., Shirzaei Sani, E., Shih, CD. et al. Wound management materials and technologies from bench to bedside and beyond. Nat Rev Mater (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-024-00693-y

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