Srikar Kasha: Development and evaluation of an oxygen microbubble-loaded hydrogel for diabetic foot wound management

<p dir="ltr">Diabetic foot wounds (DFWs) are a complication of diabetes that results from elevated blood glucose and local tissue hypoxia. Current management strategies have proven inadequate, with approximately 40% of patients having recurring wounds within one year of treatment. The aim of this project is to develop an oxygen (O2) microbubble-loaded hydrogel to reoxygenate DFWs. This involved comparing different polymers, selecting the most suitable polymer, and evaluating its ability to release oxygen. A poloxamer 407 (P407)-based hydrogel had the most comparable rheological properties to commercial products, with it also showing a decent ability to directly load O2. This ability to load O2 was improved with microbubble integration and hydrogel homogenisation. As such, we have developed hydrogels with a high O2 loading capacity that can adhere to the wound bed. It is hoped that this formulation will play a vital role in reoxygenating chronic wounds and speeding up the DFW recovery process.</p>