Translating Advanced Topical Drug Delivery Systems for Chronic Wound Care

Mengyang (Marvin) Liu – Post Doctoral Fellow, School of Pharmacy, The University of Auckland; Anthony Phillips – Professor, Faculty of Science, The University of Auckland; Jingyuan Wen – Professor, School of Pharmacy, The University of Auckland; Priyanka Agarwal – Senior Research Fellow, Ophthalmology, The University of Auckland

Introduction:

Chronic wounds are characterised by persistent inflammation, resulting in poor clinical outcomes and a high treatment burden [1]. This complex pathology often requires the administration of anti-inflammatory and/or antimicrobial agents. Although hydrogels, due to their ability to maintain a moist healing environment, are widely used for drug delivery to wound beds, they cannot be used for the administration of hydrophobic drugs. Thus, this study aimed to tailor thermo-responsive poloxamer hydrogels for the sustained delivery of hydrophobic therapeutics in chronic wounds.