Proactive biomaterials for chronic wound management and treatment

Abstract

Abstract Chronic wounds are a significant financial and healthcare burden to patients and society. This is in part due to a lack of proactive treatment options capable of promoting healing and real-time monitoring of wound progression within the wound. Hydrogel based biomaterials are highly absorptive materials that have the potential to provide a multifaceted healing approach within a single platform. In-situ forming hydrogels undergo a rapid liquid-to-gel transformation after injection providing a minimally invasive application, easy encapsulation of bioactive agents, and complete filling of the wound area. Some of these biomaterials are also designed for real-time monitoring of the wound environment. Here, prevalent biological and synthetic polymers for in-situ crosslinking and real-time biomonitoring are reviewed. Self-healing properties or incorporation of additional polymers for improving mechanical strength are also discussed.