Periodic Reporting for period 1 - WOUNDSENS (A Paradigm Shift in Health Monitoring with Electrospun Enzymatic Neomaterials)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2023-11-01 al 2024-10-31
Chronic non-healing wounds present a formidable challenge to healthcare systems worldwide, affecting an estimated 2% of the global population. This "silent epidemic" significantly impacts the quality of life for sufferers and places a considerable burden on healthcare resources. Despite extensive research, the market lacks smart bandages capable of providing reliable, continuous monitoring and early detection of complications. This gap in effective wound care underscores the urgent need for innovative solutions.
The WOUNDSENS project emerges within this context, driven by the ambition to revolutionize wound management through the development of a novel generation of wearable biosensors. This pioneering approach seeks to integrate sensor elements directly into wound dressings, enhancing comfort and facilitating continuous monitoring.
Enzyme Engineering: Engineering a new family of detection biocatalysts, including resurrected and extant enzymes, to ensure sensitive and reliable signal generation.
Conductive Materials: Designing and developing innovative electrochemical materials with enhanced properties.
Electrospinning: Advancing electrospinning methodologies to create novel hollow fibers with radial bio-signaling capabilities.
The project's objectives align with key priorities in healthcare innovation, addressing critical needs and contributing to broader societal and economic goals:
Improved Patient Outcomes: Early detection of infection and tissue maceration will enable timely intervention, potentially reducing healing times, minimizing patient discomfort, and preventing chronic wound development. This translates to a better quality of life for patients and a reduced burden on caregivers.
Enhanced Healthcare Efficiency: Continuous monitoring capabilities will optimize treatment strategies, reduce unnecessary dressing changes, and minimize hospital visits, ultimately leading to more efficient resource utilization within healthcare systems.
Economic Benefits: By potentially accelerating healing and preventing complications, WOUNDSENS aims to contribute to a significant reduction in the substantial healthcare costs associated with chronic wound management.
Technological Advancement: WOUNDSENS is poised to drive innovation in multiple sectors, including enzyme engineering, material science, and sensor technology. The project's advancements are expected to have far-reaching implications for the development of smart wound dressings and other healthcare applications.
WOUNDSENS sets the stage for a transformative impact on wound care, pushing the boundaries of sensor technology and paving the way for a future where continuous monitoring and early intervention become the standard of care for chronic wounds.
The WOUNDSENS project emerges within this context, driven by the ambition to revolutionize wound management through the development of a novel generation of wearable biosensors. This pioneering approach seeks to integrate sensor elements directly into wound dressings, enhancing comfort and facilitating continuous monitoring.
Enzyme Engineering: Engineering a new family of detection biocatalysts, including resurrected and extant enzymes, to ensure sensitive and reliable signal generation.
Conductive Materials: Designing and developing innovative electrochemical materials with enhanced properties.
Electrospinning: Advancing electrospinning methodologies to create novel hollow fibers with radial bio-signaling capabilities.
The project's objectives align with key priorities in healthcare innovation, addressing critical needs and contributing to broader societal and economic goals:
Improved Patient Outcomes: Early detection of infection and tissue maceration will enable timely intervention, potentially reducing healing times, minimizing patient discomfort, and preventing chronic wound development. This translates to a better quality of life for patients and a reduced burden on caregivers.
Enhanced Healthcare Efficiency: Continuous monitoring capabilities will optimize treatment strategies, reduce unnecessary dressing changes, and minimize hospital visits, ultimately leading to more efficient resource utilization within healthcare systems.
Economic Benefits: By potentially accelerating healing and preventing complications, WOUNDSENS aims to contribute to a significant reduction in the substantial healthcare costs associated with chronic wound management.
Technological Advancement: WOUNDSENS is poised to drive innovation in multiple sectors, including enzyme engineering, material science, and sensor technology. The project's advancements are expected to have far-reaching implications for the development of smart wound dressings and other healthcare applications.
WOUNDSENS sets the stage for a transformative impact on wound care, pushing the boundaries of sensor technology and paving the way for a future where continuous monitoring and early intervention become the standard of care for chronic wounds.
Work Package 2 focused on defining comprehensive specifications for the wound sensor. This involved a thorough review of existing research and industry standards, coupled with in-depth interviews with key stakeholders in wound care, including nurses, caregivers, manufacturers, and regulatory experts. These consultations provided valuable insights into current practices, challenges, and opportunities, which informed the development of detailed requirements and technical specifications for the sensor. This process ensured that the sensor design addresses real-world needs and adheres to relevant safety and performance standards. The resulting specifications serve as a crucial roadmap for the subsequent development and evaluation of the wound sensor.
Work Package 3 focused on engineering oxidoreductase enzymes for their potential use as biosensors. This involved expressing and characterizing a variety of these enzymes. The work included optimizing enzyme production in different host organisms, developing high-throughput screening assays, and characterizing enzyme activity and stability under various conditions. Further efforts were dedicated to ancestral sequence reconstruction and computational enzyme engineering to generate variants with enhanced properties, such as improved activity, stability, and compatibility with the biosensor environment. These efforts have contributed to a deeper understanding of oxidoreductase enzymes and their potential for integration into biosensor technologies.
Work Package 4 focused on developing and characterizing carbon materials suitable for integration into electrospun fibers. This involved exploring various approaches to produce graphene and its derivatives, including chemical exfoliation, plasma-based functionalization, and the creation of 3D graphenic structures. Extensive characterization techniques were employed to assess the properties of these materials, such as their morphology, crystallinity, and electrical conductivity. The work package also investigated the dispersion and stability of these carbon materials in different solvents relevant to the electrospinning process. These efforts have laid the groundwork for incorporating conductive carbon materials into the biosensor platform, enhancing its performance and functionality.
Work Package 5 focused on developing core-shell fibers suitable for enzyme encapsulation using coaxial electrospinning. This involved investigating various biocompatible polymers and exploring environmentally friendly solvents to optimize the electrospinning process. The work package addressed the fabrication of core-shell fibers and the fine-tuning of process parameters to improve fiber morphology and enzyme encapsulation efficiency. Additionally, the integration of conductive materials was explored to enhance the functionality of the final biosensor device.
Work Package 6 focused on developing the sensor component of the project. This included researching and identifying key measurement principles for sensor functionality, particularly in the context of the wound environment. The work package explored electrochemical techniques for detecting a key analyte in the sensing mechanism. Additionally, efforts were dedicated to developing a method for sensor manufacturing that would allow for easy integration of the sensor into a wound dressing.
Work Package 3 focused on engineering oxidoreductase enzymes for their potential use as biosensors. This involved expressing and characterizing a variety of these enzymes. The work included optimizing enzyme production in different host organisms, developing high-throughput screening assays, and characterizing enzyme activity and stability under various conditions. Further efforts were dedicated to ancestral sequence reconstruction and computational enzyme engineering to generate variants with enhanced properties, such as improved activity, stability, and compatibility with the biosensor environment. These efforts have contributed to a deeper understanding of oxidoreductase enzymes and their potential for integration into biosensor technologies.
Work Package 4 focused on developing and characterizing carbon materials suitable for integration into electrospun fibers. This involved exploring various approaches to produce graphene and its derivatives, including chemical exfoliation, plasma-based functionalization, and the creation of 3D graphenic structures. Extensive characterization techniques were employed to assess the properties of these materials, such as their morphology, crystallinity, and electrical conductivity. The work package also investigated the dispersion and stability of these carbon materials in different solvents relevant to the electrospinning process. These efforts have laid the groundwork for incorporating conductive carbon materials into the biosensor platform, enhancing its performance and functionality.
Work Package 5 focused on developing core-shell fibers suitable for enzyme encapsulation using coaxial electrospinning. This involved investigating various biocompatible polymers and exploring environmentally friendly solvents to optimize the electrospinning process. The work package addressed the fabrication of core-shell fibers and the fine-tuning of process parameters to improve fiber morphology and enzyme encapsulation efficiency. Additionally, the integration of conductive materials was explored to enhance the functionality of the final biosensor device.
Work Package 6 focused on developing the sensor component of the project. This included researching and identifying key measurement principles for sensor functionality, particularly in the context of the wound environment. The work package explored electrochemical techniques for detecting a key analyte in the sensing mechanism. Additionally, efforts were dedicated to developing a method for sensor manufacturing that would allow for easy integration of the sensor into a wound dressing.
WOUNDSENS has achieved promising results, including novel enzyme variants, and the first steps for innovative electrospinning processes for enzyme encapsulation. Advanced material formulations are being developed including green solvents. To realize its full potential, further research is needed to optimize these components and integrate them into a functional prototype. WP3, WP5, and WP6 will focus on enzyme optimization, fiber refinement, and sensor integration, respectively. Additionally, WP8 will support regulatory and commercialization strategies. These efforts will enable WOUNDSENS to create smart wound dressings that improve patient care.