FURI | Fall 2024

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

Complex wounds are a significant health and economic burden affecting 1 in 38 adults in the U.S. at a $20 billion annual cost. Chronic wounds such as diabetic ulcers exhibit delayed healing and increased risk of infection and amputation, and a 5-year survival of only 30% — the same as the average of all cancers. Sustained inflammasome-driven inflammation in diabetic wounds represents a druggable target to promote healing. This research project focuses on biomaterial engineering of silk fibroin-based wound dressings to generate a controlled, sustained release platform to deliver the inflammasome pathway inhibitor A438079 to augment healing in diabetic wounds.