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

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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.