Novel Stabilization and Sterilization Method for Collagen-based Biologic Wound Dressings

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Author(s): 
Chandra Nataraj, PhD; Gregg Ritter, MS; Stephanie Dumas, BS; France D. Helfer, BS; John Brunelle, MS; Thomas W. Sander, MS

Chronic wounds with a variety of etiologies represent a longstanding and major healthcare problem. Among these, diabetic ulcers are a growing and difficult medical challenge with more than 800,000 annual diagnoses in the United States alone.1 Lack of an ideal treatment modality has wide ranging implications including quality of life (amputations to death) and economic issues. A variety of different approaches have been attempted at addressing medical solutions for chronic wounds, such as generic dressings, peptides, growth factors, and live cellular grafts that report mixed results.2–6 This is due in part to the multitude of comorbidities associated with chronic wounds, all of which play definite roles in eventual healing.
The logical approach to treatment of any disease condition is in understanding the pathophysiology of the disease state, which in turn can help identify appropriate intervention steps. This is particularly true in palliative treatment modalities, such as biologic dressings for chronic wounds, where symptoms and not the underlying problem are primarily targeted. Thus understanding the biologic balance/imbalances of the healing environment will be able to provide the first and best clues to a treatment option.7 Indeed, studies predicated at inhibition and/or modulations of biologic markers that are altered in chronic wounds (as opposed to acute wounds) have been published.8 However, the success of such treatments could be enhanced by the concomitant presence of an ideal extracellular matrix (ECM) dressing. A variety of biologic ECM-based wound dressings have been used in wound care settings, again with limited clinical success. In a review of these collagen-based materials Ehrenreich and Ruszczak6 have identified several important attributes that would ensure the best clinical success of a biologic wound dressing.
An alternative approach to the biologic basis of treating chronic wounds is presented here. Specifically, the approach addresses both the scientific understanding of chronic wounds as well as device attributes to provide an evidence-based option for choosing a biologic wound dressing.

References: 

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