Collaborative Research: Microneedle-mediated Adaptive Phototherapy (MAP) for Wound Healing

Chronic wounds impact over 6.5 million individuals in the United States annually, and the costs exceed $25 billion, posing a significant risk in public healthcare. In healthy conditions, a highly efficient innate host defense system continually monitors and heals the wounds in an orderly and timely manner. However, the prevalence of diabetes, obesity, poor circulation, neuropathy, difficulty in moving, or aging can cause wounds unresolvable for several months.

Further complications such as a particular microbial consortium can cause destructive inflammation, often resulting in significant morbidity. To effectively manage the wound, this research develops the next-generation wound treatment that enables simultaneous wound healing and antimicrobial effects by exploring a microneedle-mediated, wound state adaptive (via pH level), localized phototherapy.

We henceforth call it a Microneedle-mediated Adaptive Phototherapy or MAP wound dressing. Combined, the MAP wound dressing that integrates self-diagnosis and autonomous treatment may lead to a translational solution for wound healing. This collaborative research will integrate the scientific findings and discoveries with educational venues for mentoring graduate students in research, generations (K-12 to lifelong learners), and two institutes (Kansas State University and Temple University).

Central to this research project is a new approach of a one-of-a-kind in-situ phototherapy, Microneedle-mediated Adaptive Phototherapy (MAP) wound dressing that uniquely enables longitudinal 3D spatial wound sensing and multifunctional pH-sensitive treatment, aiming at physical tissue healing and pathogenetic bacterial infections. The central hypothesis is that the MAP can autonomously treat chronic wounds, controlled by the state of the wound (i.e., pH level), without the need for any electronics or interaction with medical professionals.

Depending on the regional state of the wound, the MAP wound dressing positions the microneedles either in the highly bacterial active region or the acute wounds. Simultaneously, the MAP changes its body color depending on the wound state and converts the natural light into blue for sanitizing or red light for accelerating tissue regeneration. The light delivery occurs through microneedles tips, allowing localized phototherapy.

Notably, the MAP wound dressing includes conduits for 1) the advanced diffraction microlithography technique that realizes complex 3D structured microneedles, which will act as an optical waveguide with an innate lens effect; 2) the wound state-driven self-actuation using pH-sensitive micropatterned hydrogel and adaptive optical filter by infusing pH dye in the hydrogel; and 3) ex vivo studies to build preclinical data for chronic wound sensing and treatments. Therefore, a novel wound dressing aimed at deep light penetrating, the adaptive wavelength converting PBM therapy could be a superior substitute for conventional wound dressing.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.