NanoHeal: Bridging Bench to Bedside for Advanced Nanomaterials in Wound Care and Infection Prevention
( NanoHeal )

Interventions

Therapeutics

Research Project: 2025-04-01 - 2028-03-31
Total sum awarded: €1 760 392

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a severe threat to patients where tissue is exposed to the environment (e.g., surgical/traumatic wounds, burns, diabetic/pressure ulcers, or chronic wounds). Fungi, in particular, are a serious, and increasing, cause of chronic, non-healing wounds that are difficult to treat. Systemic antimicrobials and local wound care offer limited benefits and there is a distinct lack of new wound care solutions to combat AMR. To this end, it is clear that new technologies are needed to combat AMR, and there is an alarming lack of progress in the development of new antifungal treatments. A bench-to-bedside pipeline, strategically targeting multimodal, non-drug-based treatment, is needed to bring new solutions to eradicate fungal infections. Our aim is to develop and validate safe, effective, and targeted antimicrobial nanomaterials, which can be delivered to the site of wounds and will promote healing as well as ensure ‘on-demand’ wound sterilisation. The technologies will be incorporated into gel-based dressings, which can kill and repel microbes during healing. Our multidisciplinary consortium will engineer targeted, on-demand antifungal therapeutics utilizing nanomaterial platforms to optimize wound infection prevention, treatment, and management. We will establish a robust developmental pipeline to address the pressing challenges of antifungal resistance, preventing infection, and enhancing wound care efficacy and patient welfare if infection arises.

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  • Aaron Elbourne, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology), Australia (Coordinator)
  • Zlatko Kopecki, The University of South Australia, Australia (Partner)
  • Claudia Contini, Imperial College London, United Kingdom (Partner)
  • Andris Šutka, Riga Technical University, Institute of Materials and Surface Engineering – Chemical Engineering, Latvia (Partner)
  • Anna Croft, Loughborough University, United Kingdom (Partner)
  • Ulrich Schwaneberg, RWTH Aachen University, German, Germany (Partner)
  • Patricia Hunt, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand (Observer)

Fungal infections are increasingly prevalent, posing a serious challenge for patients with wounds such as surgical incisions, diabetic ulcers, burn injuries, and more, where traditional treatments have failed. This is because fungal species are developing resistance to conventional treatments and are extremely underestimated in clinical management of chronic wounds. Despite advancements in antimicrobial treatments, fungal infections continue to impede healing and elevate risks of complications such as fungemia, invasive fungal disease, sepsis, and organ failure, underscoring the urgent need for innovative solutions. This is also true for bacterial infections, where AMR is causing current treatments to fail. To address this pressing issue, our multidisciplinary team of experts spanning chemists, physicists, biologists, material/protein engineers, and medical researchers has united. Leveraging nanotechnology, we are pioneering advanced antimicrobial therapies tailored to combat fungal infections in wounds. From rigorous laboratory testing to ensuring the safety and efficacy of these treatments, we aim to revolutionize wound care via providing treatments which prevent infection, decrease antimicrobial resistance, and heal wounds. We will develop and validate safe, effective, and targeted antimicrobial nanomaterials, which can be delivered to the site of wounds, promote healing, and have the ability to provide ‘on-demand’ treatment. Collaborating with a commercial partner, we will make our therapies widely accessible, transform patient outcomes, and save lives.

Call

2024 - Interventions moving forward to promote action to counteract the emergence and spread of bacterial and fungal resistance and to improve treatments