FURI | Spring 2025

Biomaterial-mediated Controlled Release of Inflammasome Modulators for Diabetic Tissue Repair

Wounds are a major health concern and pose an extreme economic challenge, affecting 1 in 38 adults in the U.S. and costing $28 billion annually. Chronic wounds, often caused due to common comorbidities, such as diabetes, are characterized by delayed healing, higher risk of infection and amputation, and a five-year survival rate of just 30% — comparable to the average across all cancers. Persistent inflammasome-driven inflammation in diabetic wounds presents a viable therapeutic target for enhancing healing. Engineering biocompatible silk scaffolds that provide controlled, sustained-release platforms for delivering the inflammasome pathway inhibitor, A438079, can be a potential solution for diabetic wound treatment.