Research Projects

Background/Problem Statement: Burn injuries ranging from superficial to full-thickness, provide significant clinical problems due to the increased risk of infection, fluid loss, pain, and delayed recovery1,2. Systemic drug delivery is a common component of traditional treatment approaches, which may result in inadequate concentrations of drugs at the wound site with additional toxic side effects3,4. A localised effective, and long-lasting drug delivery device is urgently required. Available patches lack of real time sensing of burn status. This proposal describes the developing of a cuttingedge burn wound patch that combines real-time sensing and controlled drug delivery via using inflammation-responsive smart biomaterials. The main goals are to improve patient outcomes, reduce infection risk, reduce toxicity, and encourage effective burn wound healing. 3. State-of-the-art progress: International scenario on burns wound patch: Over 410000 burn injuries occurred in the United States in 2008, with about 40,000 of those injuries necessitating hospitalization5. Burns are being treated with a variety of patches, from simple bandages to cutting-edge nanotech and bioprinter alternatives. These include of drug-in-matrix patches, hydrogel patches, and even 3D-printed patches made to address certain requirements including scar reduction, infection control, and pain alleviation6. Examples of such commercial products are Dermagraft®, Transcyte®, Biobrane®, Dermagraft® and Transcyte® are available on the market currently. However, due to its efficacy in treating partial-thickness burns and burst release of medication at the inflamed site are limitations of these patches7. Therefore, there is urgent need on inflammation responsive smart hydrogel patch for effective treatment of burn injuries. We have proposed a smart inflammation responsive electronic patch to overcome the limitations of existing patches while proposed patch will monitor the burn status simultaneously. Indian scenario on burns wound patch: In India, more than a million people suffer moderate to severe burns each year5. Nanosol8, NanoHyFi9, Kerecis10, AmnioGraft11, Acelagraft12 etc., these are patches available in India presently and these have certain limitations such as risk of infection when left in place for extended periods, temporary coverage, burst release of drug, lack of prolonged healing, and activity varies from burn-to-burn Types7. All these types of patches lack of real time sensing of burn status. An inflammation-responsive, real-time hydrogel-based patch is essential for monitoring wound healing during therapy, given the high number of people with burn injuries. Therefore, to get over the drawbacks of current patches, we have suggested a smart inflammatory sensitive electronic patch that will also concurrently monitor the burn condition.