Nanotech innovation gives hope to chronic wound sufferers
Bacterial wound infections, which impair the lives of millions of people worldwide, can be difficult to heal. People with diabetes are especially vulnerable to this chronic condition. In severe cases, such infections can lead to gangrene, requiring limb amputation. This happens to around 1 million patients worldwide annually. “Chronic wounds are often treated with antibiotics,” says NEXTNANO project coordinator Olesja Bondarenko, who is also CEO of Nanordica Medical in Estonia. “The drawback here is that these wounds – especially if they contain bacterial biofilms – can be quite resistant, so higher antibiotic concentrations need to be used.” This is not always medically advisable, and can also lead to antibiotic resistance. This is becoming a major health problem across Europe.
Replacing antibiotics with effective antibacterial dressings
Estonian start-up Nanordica sought to address this major health challenge with the application of nanotechnology. “We were looking to replace antibiotics with effective antibacterial dressings,” explains Bondarenko. “Most antibacterial dressings contain silver ions which inactivate bacteria, but this can also inhibit the healing process.” Through integrating copper with silver nanoparticles, the team found that they were able to enhance the positive antibacterial effects of silver, while diminishing the negative effects. This led to the development of a prototype dressing that contains two layers. The first is a regular absorbent layer, while the wound-facing second layer contains fibres holding the copper and silver nanoparticles. The team was able to demonstrate the effectiveness of this antibacterial wound dressing in initial animal studies. “This made us then think about moving on to human clinical trials, but we simply didn’t have the resources,” adds Bondarenko. “We’re also a small team of scientists; we really didn’t know how to go about bringing this to market.”
Bringing nanotech innovations to market
The EU-funded NEXTNANO project enabled the team to accelerate the market readiness of their innovation. This included further development of the prototype and conducting a small pilot study on patients with diabetic foot ulcers in an Estonian hospital. “More than 80 % of chronic wounds improved after one to three days of the patient wearing the dressing,” says Bondarenko. Nanordica was also able to submit a patent application for its technology, and establish a quality management system. These were both time-consuming and yet necessary steps to ensure that their finalised product would be fully market-compliant. “This project has been a game changer for us, because we were able to invest for the first time in these commercial and regulatory aspects,” remarks Bondarenko.
Relief to people living with chronic wounds
The NEXTNANO project has enabled the company to make significant advances in bringing the product to market. The next steps include conducting an audit of the firm’s quality management system, carrying out ISO standard tests, and obtaining CE certification. “We plan to conduct a larger clinical trial, this time with over 100 patients, and develop manufacturing capabilities here in Estonia,” adds Bondarenko. “We are also looking to increase our product portfolio, through in-house research and development and collaborations.” Most importantly, Bondarenko believes that once brought to market, their innovation could bring relief to millions of people living with chronic wounds. “My family has a long history of diabetes, so we know about the problem,” she says.
Keywords
NEXTNANO, nanotech, diabetes, infections, antibacterial, antibiotics, nanoparticle
