CHAMS - Chameleomers: Chameleon Inspired Bio-Molecule-Responsive Structures for Detection of Wound Healind Progresses and Abnormalities

Wound healing remains a challenging clinical problem and correct, efficient wound management is essential. Much effort has been focused on wound care with an emphasis on new therapeutic approaches and the development of technologies for acute and chronic wound management. A large number of acute wounds are associated with being a target and a source of infectious diseases. Additionally, there are complications, especially when the healing does not progress in a timely and orderly manner. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a material capable not only of wound healing, but also of monitoring the development of the wound and recognize pathogens. Ideally, this material should provide a clear signalling by the naked eye. The challenging aim of this project is to address these problems with the development of a multifunctional healing patch. Inspired by the nanostructures found in chameleon skin, we will combine molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) with photonic crystals (PhC), these structures will be referred as “Chameleomeres”, (Chams). They will be engineered such that they are capable of recognizing pathogens and collagen concentration and reflect a visual signal. This material will be embedded in a wound healing hydrogel capable of stimulating tissue growth. The result will be a novel material that could be utilized by hospital or private caretakers and it will help prevent the festering of the wounds. The Chameleomeres are a promising strategy for a sensing method that is convenient for the detection of biomolecules in general since they transduce into a readable signal. The application holds great promise, in particular in on-site determination of parameters for which alternative methods are not available or perform poorly. Fast testing of food safety is such an exemplary area of further development of such materials and devices.