Chronic wounds are defined as wounds that fail to follow the typical phases of wound healing in an orderly and timely manner [1]. These wounds include, but are not limited, to venous leg ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, and pressure ulcers. For many patients, chronic wounds reduce their quality of life, restrict their mobility, and lead to amputation. Chronic wounds have been estimated to affect 2 - 4.5 million people in the US and cost the US economy $25 billion per year [2]. 

 

When considering the physiological process of wound healing, it is achieved through four temporarily and spatially overlapping phases: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling phases [3]. To achieve this, wound care technology should 1) create a moist, clean, and warm environment, 2) protect the wound bed from mechanical trauma and bacterial infiltrations, 3) modulate exudate level, 4) allow for gas exchange, 5) promote thermal insulation, 6) be non-toxic and non-allergenic, and 7) deliver therapeutic compounds essential for healing with optimal temporal profile [4].

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Today, chronic wounds represent a significant challenge for wound care specialists. Despite all the recent advances in wound care, there still exist many uncertainties in wound debridement, infection management, wound environment, and wound bed preparation, in addition to others. Auxilium's vision is to create an advanced "smart" dressing that can be worn longer, allowing patients to heal faster. We believe that our technology, currently being developed in a lab, will eliminate some of these uncertainties and enable patients to live a life unrestricted by a wound. Engineer

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References:

[1] Frykberg RG, Banks J. Challenges in the Treatment of Chronic Wounds. Adv Wound Care 2015;4:560-582.

[2] Sen CK, Gordillo GM, Roy S, Kirsner R, Lambert L, Hunt TK, Gottrup F, Gurtner GC, Longaker MT. Human skin wounds: a major and snowballing threat to public health and the economy. Wound Repair Regen 2009;17:763-771.

[3] Eming SA, Martin P, Tomic-Canic M. Wound repair and regeneration: mechanisms, signaling, and translation. Sci Transl Med 2014;6:265sr6.

[4] Dabiri G, Damstetter E, Philips T. Choosing a Wound Dressing Based on Common Wound Characteristics. Adv Wound Care 2016;5:32-41.