The treatment of complex wound conditions such as ulcus cruris, commonly known as "open leg", or diabetic wounds is a difficult task for medical staff, a long-term one for those affected and a costly one for health insurance companies. Protein-based materials are now being used to treat such wounds, but because they are made from animal tissue, they carry an increased risk of infection. As part of a research project, biomedically applicable materials based on human tropoelastin are being developed. This precursor material is converted in the body into elastin, a vital and long-lasting structural protein with exceptional mechanical properties.
Microstructure of a tropoelastin fleece that has been cross-linked with formaldehyde (image taken under a scanning electron microscope).
Elastin is chemically and enzymatically extremely stable, biocompatible and does not cause immunological rejection when used as a biomaterial in humans. The aim at the Fraunhofer IMWS was therefore to create new and innovative solutions for the treatment of complex wounds on the basis of human tropoelastin.
Source: Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS (imws.fraunhofer.de)
