Chronic wounds are wounds that may take months or years to heal, at a significant discomfort to the patient and cost to the NHS. The wound fluid or “exudate” contains several biomarkers that can help assess wound state and inform treatment. This project pursues a novel approach to assessing the state of a wound by profiling the secreted biomarkers that will be verified using animal models. If successful, the approach will lead to better informed wound treatment and significantly decreased healing times.
We have recently demonstrated the ability to measure protein biomarkers at very high sensitivity using our advanced biosensor technology [1,2]. We have also demonstrated multiplexed detection of protein biomarkers at pg/ml levels in clinical samples [3]. The project now aims to build on these exciting results by monitoring 6 relevant wound biomarkers in wound exudate, which should be achievable in year 1. In year 2, you will assess the 6 biomarkers extracted from the wound dressing applied to animal-model wounds and identify the most suitable biomarker panel for a specific wound state, while in year 3, you will relate the protein biomarker profile to the wound healing process and determine the performance and improvements required for clinical translation of the technology.
Novelty. The technology uniquely combines an advanced wound dressing with high-sensitivity, multiplexed biomarker detection. Competing systems only detect a single marker. The wound dressing is based on a hydrogel scaffold that allows continuous exudate sampling without disruption to the wound, rather than having to remove the dressing. The biosensor technology offers handheld operation at performance levels otherwise only achievable with laboratory instruments, which uniquely enables using the technology at home and in real time.
Timeliness. The pandemic has highlighted the challenges associated with patients with chronic conditions travelling to/from the healthcare setting for routine procedures e.g., diagnostic tests. This has led to an increased interest and demand for near-patient testing.
Experimental approach. The sensing technology will be fabricated in the supervisor’s laboratories at York, including cleanroom-based fabrication of the sensor chips (Prof Krauss), surface functionalisation for specific biomarker detection (Prof Johnson) and prototyping of the sensor instrument. A sizeable team is working on a number of related technologies, so the project will be well supported. The industrial collaborator (Dr Raxworthy, Neotherix Ltd.) will provide the wound dressing scaffold and associated expertise, and the third supervisor (Prof Hardman, Hull) is an expert in wound healing who will provide access to animal models and testing.
Benefits of being in the DiMeN DTP:
This project is part of the Discovery Medicine North Doctoral Training Partnership (DiMeN DTP), a diverse community of PhD students across the North of England researching the major health problems facing the world today. Our partner institutions (Universities of Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, York and Sheffield) are internationally recognised as centres of research excellence and can offer you access to state-of the-art facilities to deliver high impact research.
We are very proud of our student-centred ethos and committed to supporting you throughout your PhD. As part of the DTP, we offer bespoke training in key skills sought after in early career researchers, as well as opportunities to broaden your career horizons in a range of non-academic sectors.
Being funded by the MRC means you can access additional funding for research placements, international training opportunities or internships in science policy, science communication and beyond. See how our current DiMeN students have benefited from this funding here: http://www.dimen.org.uk/overview/student-profiles/flexible-supplement-awards
Further information on the programme and how to apply can be found on our website:
http://www.dimen.org.uk/how-to-apply/application-overview
Continue with Facebook
