Treating the whole not the hole: necessary coupling of technologies for diabetic foot ulcer treatment.
Type 2 diabetes is the epidemic of our generation, and diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a major complication. Although DFU formation itself can indicate disease progression, the failure to effectively treat ulcers contributes further to a decay in patient quality of life and increased mortality. Herein we discuss the development of next-generation DFU therapies including: (i) topical growth factors, (ii) scaffolds, and (iii) cellular therapies. Individually these therapies have yielded measurable but modest improvements in DFU repair. Because DFUs arise as a result of multiple biochemical deficiencies, a singular treatment modality is unlikely to be effective. Next-generation DFU technologies must be combined to address effectively the complex underlying pathology and enable reliable DFU repair.
Stem Cell Therapies Laboratory, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology at the Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia.
Kathryn
K
Futrega
Stem Cell Therapies Laboratory, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology at the Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia.
Myfanwy
M
King
Stem Cell Therapies Laboratory, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology at the Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia.
William B
WB
Lott
Stem Cell Therapies Laboratory, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology at the Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia; Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre-Queensland, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia; Mater Medical Research Institute at the Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia. Electronic address: michael.doran@qut.edu.au.
Michael R
MR
Doran
D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications*; D017719:Diabetic Foot / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds; D014945:Wound Healing
D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
diabetes; diabetic foot ulcers; growth factors; mesenchymal stem/stromal cells; scaffolds