Project description
4D injectable self-healing hydrogel for chronic wound treatment
Chronic wounds impact quality of life and account for up to 4 % of EU healthcare costs. Current treatments lack a comprehensive approach to address key issues such as wound accessibility, infection control, inflammation reduction, vascularisation, and tissue regeneration. The EU-funded INJECTHEAL project aims to develop an innovative, eco-friendly 4D injectable self-healing hydrogel composed of functionalised pectin and gelatin. This hydrogel will function as both a therapeutic delivery system and a healing matrix with biomimetic properties and controlled bioresorption. It will incorporate antibacterial agents, anti-inflammatory compounds, and pro-angiogenic agents to create effective formulations for industrial use. The project will deliver a validated hydrogel platform, ready for clinical trials upon project completion.
Objective
Chronic wounds affect over 305 million people worldwide, significantly reducing quality of life, accounting for 2-4% of EU healthcare costs. Current treatments for deep cavity chronic wounds lack a comprehensive strategy to tackle issues including wound reachability, infection control, inflammation reduction, vascularization, tissue regeneration and scalability. INJECTHEAL introduces a ground-breaking multi-functional, green 4D injectable self-healing hydrogel, based on functionalized pectin and gelatin, serving both as a delivery vehicle for therapeutics and a matrix to promote healing through its biomimetic properties and controlled bioresorption. The hydrogel platform includes antibacterial (e.g. octenidine), anti-inflammatory and pro-angiogenic (e.g. Ac2-26 peptide and siRNAs) agents, to provide effective formulations viable for industrial exploitation. Hydrogel properties are tailored by biocompatible poly(epsilon-lysine) dendrons allowing (i) fine tuning of hydrogel crosslinking degree and (ii) versatile bulk functionalization with bioligands to support cell adhesion, migration and angiogenesis. Immune-stealth polymeric microcapsules, embedded in the hydrogel, protect cell-targeted dendrons, loaded with sensitive agents, from enzymatic degradation enabling their controlled, sustained and precise delivery. Preclinical safety and efficacy assessment according to GLP are set with progressive complexity to reproduce human-relevant pathophysiological features of chronic wounds, from ISO standard in-vitro 2D cell trials and antimicrobial assays to novel in-vitro tests in proprietary human-relevant 3D skin models, human wound exudates and in-vivo animal chronic wound models. Scale-up production, business planning, consultation with key notified regulatory agencies and early involvement of end-users (incl. patients) will provide a preclinically-validated industrial socio-economical sustainable hydrogel platform ready for post-project first-in-man clinical trials.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.4 - Digital, Industry and Space
MAIN PROGRAMME
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HORIZON.2.4.4 - Advanced Materials
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-IA - HORIZON Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL4-2024-RESILIENCE-01-TWO-STAGE
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
13100 Vercelli
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.