Ph.D. Candidacy Exam Public Presentation

Nauman Nazeer, Ph.D. candidate in MMS

Title: Sprayable photo-crosslinked hydrogels based on chitosan, hyaluronic acid, and gelatin as antimicrobial and cell-adhesive wound dressings

Summary: Wound healing is an essential process for the repair of damaged skin tissue and for the restoration of normal tissue function post-injury. Wound dressings are used to promote wound healing and prevent exposure of the wound to infections and mechanical damage. However, conventional prefabricated wound dressings are non-conformal and typically use adhesive coatings to remain fixed onto wounds. As a result, they are difficult to properly apply onto irregular wound surfaces and often cause issues of patient non-compliance, which results in microbial infections and delayed wound healing. Furthermore, conventional dressing materials require frequent changes in order to prevent the accumulation of blood and exudates (hematoma). Such changes disrupt the wound healing process and expose wounds to further infection. Hydrogel-based dressings have been explored as alternatives to traditional prefabricated wound dressings. Hydrogels are soft and mouldable, and can be easily applied onto uneven wound surfaces without the use of additional adhesives. The structure of hydrogel networks also resembles the extracellular matrix (ECM) of mammalian skin and can absorb exudates, while providing a moisture-rich environment for wound healing. Additionally, hydrogel dressings can incorporate small molecules such as antimicrobial agents and factors that promote the re-epithelialization of wounds. In this research proposal, sprayable photo-crosslinked hydrogel-based wound dressings composed of gelatin (Gel), chitosan (CS), and hyaluronic acid (HA) are suggested as potential alternatives to traditional wound dressing materials. The incorporation of cell adhesive peptides into the hydrogel matrix is also proposed in order to accelerate wound healing by promoting the migration and proliferation of keratinocytes at the wound site. The use of visible light for photo-initiated crosslinking of the hydrogel is also proposed to be beneficial to wound healing as a form of photobiomodulation therapy. Therefore, sprayable in situ hydrogel wound dressings may be time- and cost-efficient biomaterial products for the treatment of chronic wounds.

Date and Time: April 1st, 1:30 PM

Via Google meet.  All are welcome to attend. Please contact Barry Linkletter at GSC@upei.ca for the information to connect.