Diabetes in brief: a round-up of the latest news
In this special news round-up during Diabetes Awareness Week 2018, learn more about recent breakthroughs in regenerative therapies research for diabetes.
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- Hydrogel forms regenerative bandage for diabetic wounds
- Novo Nordisk renews focus on stem cell therapies
- Watch: Treating diabetes with autologous cell therapy
- NIH grant will further development of replacement beta cells for type 1 and type 2 diabetes
Hydrogel forms regenerative bandage for diabetic wounds
A Northwestern University (IL, USA) team has developed a thermally responsive hydrogel that utilizes A5G81, a fragment of laminin that is important for wound healing, to counter inflammation and support healing. In research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team describes how their bandage, which washes off with saline when needing to be changed, healed diabetic wounds up to 33% faster than an existing product.
“Wounds have irregular shapes and depths. Our liquid can fill any shape and then stay in place,” explained study lead Guillermo Ameer, director, Center for Advanced Regenerative Engineering (Northwestern University). “Other bandages are mostly based on collagen films or sponges that can move around and shift away from the wound site.”