Advances in Wound Healing Materials

Book excerpt: Wound-healing and wound-care technologies are an ever-expanding field due to the advancements in materials science, biomedicine and tissue engineering. In 2011, the global wound-care market generated 6,500 million USD with an annual growth rate of 7.5%. The global advanced wound-care products market share in 2023 is predicted to be approximately 16,300 million USD. This book discusses the evolution of wound-care devices and protocols over the years, in addition to the different technologies being used in present-day wound-care treatment. New strategies involving engineered tissues and drug-delivery systems to mimic the natural wound healing environment are also discussed. The use of cytokine growth factors has been shown to enhance chronic wound healing, particularly for burn wounds. However, the prevention of scarring, keloid formation or contractures, and a cosmetically acceptable healing is a challenge even now. Skin tissue engineering was the first successfully clinically applied product in the field of regenerative medicine. Bioengineered skin seeded with fibroblast and keratinocyte cells is a potential permanent solution that does not require skin grafting and could also be used as a temporary cover for burns prior to grafting. Cell attachment, proliferation and tissue formation on a three-dimensional porous scaffold can be engineered for specific applications. These cell-based skin substitutes have a significant wound-healing and scar-reducing effect on patients. A gene-activated dermal equivalent is another emerging approach for the healing of full-thickness incision wounds which results in good remodelling of the skin. This book also describes the latest developments in the field of wound-healing science and research. The target audiences are wound-care professionals, researchers working on wound-healing technology and skin tissue engineering, as well as graduate students and industry personnel that need to understand the aspects of wound healing and the technological requirements to achieve successful commercialisation.