Award-winning researcher wraps up development on biodegradable wound dressings

A researcher at the University of Wolverhampton has developed a new biodegradable wound dressing, made from all-natural materials to improve the lives of people living with chronic wounds.

Dr Abhishek Gupta has been working on the seven-year development of new biosynthetic cellulose based hydrogel dressings loaded with natural healing ingredients such as silver and curcumin to speed up the healing of chronic wounds. Abhishek has also developed a novel technique to produce curcumin reduced silver nanoparticles with healing properties.

Abhishek states that the new sustainable dressings, which are more than 95 per cent water, have been specifically created to heal wounds and the natural ingredients could even prevent amputation.

Abhishek has national and international collaborations actively working to roll out the hydrogels for patients with chronic non-healing wounds.

Once the hydrogels can be rolled out for public use, Dr Gupta is hopeful they will relieve some pressure from the NHS.

Dr Abhishek Gupta, Lecturer in Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Education, Health and Wellbeing at the University of Wolverhampton said: "I’m so pleased to have reached this milestone and created brand-new hydrogels with potential application as dressings that could change the lives of thousands of people living with chronic wounds – including their families and people who care for them.

“Our hydrogel dressings are ultra-pure and biosynthetic. As well as the additional healing properties, they are biodegradable – making them an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional dressings that are currently being used worldwide.

"Chronic wounds impose an immense socio-economic burden and if they fail to respond to the available medical interventions, may lead to amputation. Although there is a plethora of proprietary wound dressing products already available on the market, due to the increase in the ageing population and incidences of chronic diseases, there is a critical need to continue to develop improved advanced wound dressings.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues, industrial collaborators and students here at the University of Wolverhampton and at Punjabi University as we move on to the next stage of the project and making the dressings available for public use.”

Dr Dimple, Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy, Science and Drug Research at Punjabi University said: “We are so pleased to be actively collaborating with Dr Abhishek Gupta on developing advanced wound dressings - his work is very much applauded by my colleagues and senior faculty members.

“Abhishek visited our department last January to showcase his research on antimicrobial wound dressings to our postgraduate students and PhD research scholars who were inspired by his passion and depth of knowledge.

“I personally found the polymer highly suitable for my research work on designing burn wound dressings and I am quite hopeful that our collaboration will go long way ahead in development of commercial wound dressings.”

A group of PhD students from Punjabi University are working alongside the research team as part of their dissertation.

Abhishek is also due to be presented with the Hind Rattan award in India later this month in recognition of his outstanding commitment to health and education.

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