Combating chronic wounds with biomaterials
Combating chronic wounds with biomaterials lead image
As the average age of the global population increases, healthcare systems must adapt to treating chronic wounds in elderly patients. Current wound treatments overlook the unique characteristics of aged skin that disrupt healing, such as reduced cell growth, decreased nutrient flow, and altered inflammatory processes.
Dores et al. explore how biomaterials, which are used to treat and replace tissues in the body, could address these challenges. The properties of natural and synthetic biomaterials can be tailored to meet the needs of aged skin. For example, these materials could improve the delivery of healing-promoting molecules.
Skin-on-chip technologies, 3D bioprinting, and other recent advancements have produced models that more closely resemble aged skin. The authors consider how these developments will allow researchers to more accurately predict biomaterial performance in elderly patients. They hope their review will both inform biomaterial design and act as a guide for researchers selecting aged-skin models to study biomaterials.
“This review provides insights and evidence-based strategies to help researchers, clinicians, and policymakers advance the development of targeted biomaterial therapies that address the unique wound healing challenges presented by aged skin,” said author Luís Bimbo. “We hope readers will use this review as a starting point to identify gaps in current knowledge and develop more effective therapeutic approaches.”
The authors discuss future directions for advancing experimental skin models and biomaterial-based therapies. This includes developing biomaterials capable of eliminating accumulating senescent cells as well as enhancing antimicrobial properties to prevent complications in wound healing.
“Ultimately, we aim for this work to inspire interdisciplinary collaborations and accelerate the translation of innovative biomaterial-based solutions for elderly patients from laboratory to clinical practice,” Bimbo said.
Source: “Advanced biomaterial strategies for overcoming age-associated wound healing impairments,” by Rodrigo Dores, Telma A. Rodrigues, Daniel Carvalho, Eva Batista, Myroslava Kozak, Cristina Blanco-Elices, Hugo Fernandes, and Luis M. Bimbo, APL Bioengineering (2025). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0251889 .
