Development and Characterisation of honey-supplemented collagen biomaterial for application in the treatment of burn and chronic wounds

慢性伤口在医学上提出了一些最困难的挑战，因此生物材料和组织工程的进步正在解决这个问题。我的研究项目围绕开发由天然材料制成的生物活性伤口敷料，用于治疗难以愈合的伤口，如烧伤和糖尿病溃疡。胶原蛋白是体内最丰富的蛋白质，易于整合并在伤口部位被重吸收。用蜂蜜补充胶原蛋白，蜂蜜具有天然的抗菌特性，可以产生一种用于愈合伤口的活性和可降解支架。该研究的重点是薄膜和支架的工程设计，具有可控的降解和细胞信号传导，以最大限度地提高伤口闭合率。这项工作涉及基于胶原蛋白和麦卢卡蜂蜜的组合创造不同的敷料，并表征其机械，化学和生物特性。一个特别的重点是研究材料的降解以及它如何影响细胞和细菌，改变属性来管理炎症和防止感染。

Chronic wounds pose some of the most difficult challenges in medicine and thus advancements in biomaterials and tissue engineering are being made to tackle this issue. My research project revolves on the development on bioactive wound dressings made of natural materials for the treatment of hard to heal wounds such as burns and diabetic ulcers. Collagen being the most abundant protein in the body readily integrates and is reabsorbed in the wound site. Supplementing the collagen with honey, which has natural antibacterial properties, results in an active and degradable scaffold for healing wounds. The research focuses on the engineering of films and scaffolds with controlled degradation and cell signalling tailored to maximising wound closure rate. The work involves the creation of different dressings based on combinations of collagen and Manuka honey and characterization of their mechanical, chemical and biological properties. A particular focus is the study of the degradation of the material and how it influences both cells and bacteria, altering the properties to manage inflammation and protect against infection.