Designing guar gum-based hydrogels for promoting anti-adhesion and anti-infective skin wound healing

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a series of hereditary skin fragility conditions, currently without a cure, that are characterized by fragile skin that is prone blister formation in response to minor friction or trauma. Existing wound dressings are often too abrasive and/or stiff to effectively treat this condition without compromising healing, demanding new materials solutions to enable safe and effective dressing lift-off while maintaining the broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties required to prevent infections in the blisters that develop. In this project, the Hoare lab is partnering with Oligomaster Inc. to develop a new hydrogel-based solution to this challenge based on guar gum derivatives, which are highly lubricious to enable easy wound lift-off, and extracts of eremuran, a plant root extract of the eremurus plant that has been demonstrated to exhibit broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. We anticipate the materials to be developed will lead to improved treatment options for EB that meet the unique treatment needs of this patient group in addition to other patient groups that suffer from chronic and fragile wounds (e.g. diabetics).

Faculty Supervisor:

Todd Hoare

Student:

Partner:

Oligomaster Inc

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Manufacturing; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

McMaster University

Program: