Evaluation Of A Novel Connexin-Based Peptide For The Treatment Of Diabetic Wounds

Project Summary/Abstract According to the ADA, 25.8 million children and adults have diabetes. Diabetics have an increased risk of complications such as heart disease and are prone to impaired wound healing. A major cause of morbidity and hospitalizationis diabetic foot ulceration (DFUs) that may result in infection, gangrene, amputations requiring prolonged hospitalization, costly treatments, and can significantly impair a patient's quality of life. The cost of DFU's to the US healthcare system is over10 Billion annually. Diabetic wounds tend to remain stalled in the initial inflammatory phase of wound healing and are generally unresponsive to conventional treatments. Current treatment approaches including debridement, pressure off-loading, infection control, negative pressure, and skin substitutes tend to have marginal efficacy and high cost. A large unmet need exists for an easier and more effective treatment. FirstString Research, Inc. (FSR), a clinical stage biotech company, is advancing the develo