Novel Hormonal Therapeutics for Diabetic-Impaired Wound Healing
Abstract
The Central Critical Problem or Question to Be Addressed: Diabetic impaired wound healing is a serious consequence of diabetes mellitus, and it occurs due to inadequate management of hyperglycemia. Impaired wound healing causes substantial morbidity and is the most important risk factor for certain extremity amputation. In the U.S., chronic diabetic impaired wounds affect approximately 6.5 million patients and lead to >68,000 limb amputations annually. Popular hypotheses suggest that diabetic impaired wounds can be attributed to peripheral neuropathy and endothelial dysfunctions as a result of sustained hyperglycemia. Regardless of the causes, all forms of diabetic ulcers are characterized by the impairment of re-epithelialization and granulation during the healing process as well as restricted blood circulation in wound beds. Current management of diabetic impaired wound healing has focused on the elimination of infection, the use of dressings to maintain a moist wound bed and to absorb exudates, offloading high pressure in the extremities, and debridement to improve healing. Although better diabetes care has improved the survival of patients, there is a lack of measures that can substantially improve wound healing in diabetic impaired wound healing patients. Many patients still face limb amputation and high mortality. It is estimated that the management of diabetic ulcers represents one-third of the total cost of diabetes care (many billions U.S. dollars) in developed countries. Clearly, there is an unmet yet urgent medical need to develop novel therapeutics that can improve wound healing and prevent the recurrence of diabetic impaired wounds. The Innovation of the Idea: Because most diabetic ulcers are partly rooted in peripheral neuropathy, endothelial dysfunctions, and inadequate blood circulation, the use of novel fusion hormonal therapeutics and nanotechnology drugs will merge the goals of promoting blood vessel formation and granulation, and preserving the integrity of vascular barriers in wound beds. The proposed therapy is endowed with several advantages, including: (1) The newly invented stable hormone analogs have superior bioactivities when compared with the original hormone. (2) The therapy is based on analogs of a human hormone that plays essential roles in vascular development and the maintenance of endothelial barrier integrity; the use of native hormone analog could have minimal side effects. (3) The therapy is receptor-mediated; it has high selectivity and broad-spectrum activity (i.e., it should protect a broad spectrum of vascular and dermal tissues). The Ultimate Applicability of the Research: Which Topic Area does this research address? This research addresses the topic area of Diabetes. Research on interventions to prevent or treat diabetes complications, including diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, cardiomyopathy, and impaired wound healing. What are the potential clinical applications, benefits, and risks? The potential clinical applications and benefits will be providing innovative novel therapies, the fusion hormonal therapeutics, and stable hormone-based nanotechnology that are capable of delivering effective and durable clinical responses against diabetic impaired wounds in diabetic patients without having life-threatening toxicities and potentially without the recurrence of diabetic impaired wounds in diabetic patients. What Is the Impact of the Research? The proposed novel therapies with novel fusion hormonal therapeutics and stable hormone-based nanotechnology drugs are designed to tackle the clinical problem of impaired wound healing and the recurrence of diabetic impaired wounds in diabetic patients. Despite improved targeted therapies, there is currently no effective therapy for improving wound healing effectively in diabetic patients. Certainly, promising new therapies that deliver effective and durable clinical responses against diabetic impaire
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 10, 2021
- Source ID
- W81XWH2010398
Entities
People
- Mickey C.‐T. Hu
Organizations
- Panorama Research (United States)
- United States Army