Treating the twin problem of pain and infection in chronic ulcers using biologically active advanced medicated dressings

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Joshua Boateng

University of Greenwich, UK

: J Pharm Drug Deliv Res

Abstract

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Two major challenges of an ageing population and increased incidence of type 2 diabetes present a potential crisis in terms of chronic leg ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers. Such wounds are normally infected and very painful which leads significant debilitating effects on patients and their immediate families and friends and costs the NHS millions of pounds every year. Both types of wounds are difficult to heal and can lead to amputations and in extreme cases death. Most of the commonly used dressings are not effective on such wounds, therefore alternative and more advanced treatments are required. The research will explore the current state of chronic wound therapy and the advances being investigated, including previously used traditional remedies such as honey. Multifunctional dressings have been designed using various approaches including freeze-drying, 3-D printing and hydrogel film casting and characterized for functional wound healing properties required for effective performance as ideal wound dressing. The optimized dressings were loaded with biologically active agents that target more than one phase of wound healing including antibiotics, analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs and honey. These interventions are expected to enhance the healing of hard to heal chronic wounds and provide more cost-effective therapies for both patients and national health providers. The combination of both cheap natural sources and advanced technologies will ensure availability of appropriate advanced dressings for routine use by all populations, including in developing countries.

Biography

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Joshua Boateng is a Pharmacist by training from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana) and subsequently completed his PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Drug Delivery and Formulation) from Strathclyde University, Glasgow, UK (2005). He is a Reader at the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Greenwich, UK. He has over 60 publications that have been cited over 2755 times on Google Scholar, and his corresponding publication H-index is 22 and has been serving as an editorial board member of reputed Journals including Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. His key research interests cover advanced wound healing therapies and drug delivery systems that take active part in wound healing as well as mucosal drug delivery systems as alternatives to traditionally used oral and parenteral routes, especially for pediatric and geriatric patients. He is an invited Editor for book on “Therapeutic Dressings and Wound Healing Applications” commissioned by Wiley.

E-mail: e: j.s.boateng@gre.ac.uk