Enhanced Wound Healing Using Topically Administered Nanoparticle Encapsulated siRNA

摘要

The ongoing engagement of US troops in global combat activity has increased the incidence of complex wounds resulting in morbidity, permanent disfigurement, progressive disability, and/or chronic pain. Our long-term objective is to improve the quality of healing of wounds by providing military personnel with a therapeutic that can be immediately applied topically to damaged tissue to enhance wound closure, re-vascularization and appropriate re- innervation. This will save lives, but also vastly improve the quality of lives for those soldiers who survive with injuries. The specific objective of the work supported by this award was to develop nanoparticle-encapsulated siRNA technology that can be topically administered to complex wounds to stimulate healing by altering cell motility and morphogenesis. Toward this end, we identified set of 4 genes encoding regulators of the microtubule cytoskeleton that can be targeted by nanoparticle-delivered siRNA to selectively enhance wound re-epithelialization, axon regeneration and blood vessel formation.