Wound healing can go wrong when specific biological signaling is altered, often leading to the lowered or increased expression of specific proteins that play a role in tissue generation and remodeling.  Ideally, one would be able to tune that wound healing, or enable it, when wounds have difficulty closing or healing is in some way impaired.  The electrostaticlayer-by-layer (LbL) process is a simple and elegant method of constructing highly tailored ultrathin polymer and organic-inorganic composite thin films.    We have used this method to develop thin films that can encapsulate and release proteins and biologic drugs such as growth factors with highly preserved activity from the surfaces of biomedical implants or wound dressings with sustained release over periods of several days.   We have engineered coatings that yield release of different drugs, DNA or protein, resulting in highly tunable multi-agent delivery nanolayered release systems.  Depending on the nature of the LbL assembly, we can generate thin films that rapidly release proteins or peptides within minutes that induce rapid hemostasis to stop bleeding in soldiers on the battlefield while simultaneously releasing antibiotics, or release growth factors that help to regenerate bone in defects where bone may no longer grow.  Challenges in each of these areas include designing systems that provide the right dosing over desired time periods, and engineering the structure of these thin film systems to enable sustained release periods while maintaining the drug or biologic loading needed for the desired effect.   Methods for tuning the release of various compounds and combining different types of therapeutics in these films will be discussed. These and other uses of controlled polyelectrolytes and their complexes for delivery of proteins and nucleic acids within tissues and across barriers will be addressed.

Thin film assemblies for short and long term wound ehaling

ACS Fall 2021

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