This $469,766 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), under the Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.846), aims to develop an enhanced wound healing technology based on nanogenerator-driven electrical stimulation. The key objectives are to:
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Establish the cellular mechanisms by which the nanogenerator-driven electrical stimulation (NG-ES) accelerates wound healing in cell culture studies. This includes identifying the optimal electric field parameters for improving re-epithelialization, fibroblast recruitment, extracellular matrix generation, and neovascularization.
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Evaluate the NG-ES effects in human skin tissue models, including ex vivo whole skin and in vivo skin xenograft, to understand the impact on the skin microenvironment and in a living systemic environment.
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Scale up and optimize the NG-ES device design, integrating it with a medical bandage to deliver the desired electrical stimulation signals over a large skin area on pig models, and quantify the enhanced wound healing.
The award was made to the University of Wisconsin System, Division of the University of Wisconsin - Madison, to conduct this multi-year research project from February 2025 through January 2029. The outcomes aim to enable a new, low-cost, sustainable, and disposable wound healing technology with potential global applications, particularly in resource-limited settings.
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