R+D CSIC

New project develops advanced biomaterials for complex wound healing

The European project, Nabiheal, will work on the synthesis of advanced biomaterials as an alternative to silver-based dressings commonly used for wound healing. The new materials will be cheaper, safer and more sustainable.

"Nabiheal will address two currently unmet medical needs in complex wound healing: affordable treatments for wound infections and prevention of wound healing complications; and a strategy to optimise the composition and efficacy of wound healing drugs and dressings,' explains Nora Ventosa, project coordinator and researcher of the Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales del CSIC (ICMAB-CSIC).

Complex wounds, such as chronic wounds, are highly susceptible to microbial infection and the formation of bacterial biofilms, which are difficult to treat. The most common antimicrobial products to treat these infections are silver-based. However, current silver-based dressings have several economic, environmental and safety drawbacks.

Silver-based products are expensive, which can make them difficult to access in poorer regions. In addition, some studies in recent years have questioned whether they are effective in all situations. A 2010 Cochrane review, for example, identified 26 trials that compared silver-containing dressings or creams with similar products without silver. The authors of the review concluded that "there is insufficient evidence to support the use of silver-containing dressings or creams." Another 2006 review on the use of silver-containing dressings and topical agents for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers noted that "there are no clinical trials evaluating their clinical effectiveness".

In addition to the cost disadvantage and doubts about the effectiveness of silver dressings, there are other drawbacks: the fact that there are situations where silver dressings are not recommended, as well as the environmental and safety disadvantages they present.

The project will work on the production of multifunctional materials for the treatment of complex wound healing, which has become a global health problem. For example, 'in developed countries it affects the quality of life of more than 2% of the population,'

The Nabiheal project team aims to develop a safer, sustainable and cost-effective alternative, based on innovative multifunctional biomaterials and using affordable manufacturing technologies. In the long term, the Nabiheal solution, say the scientists, "could become a revolutionary alternative to silver in wound healing dressings".

The project will work on the production of multifunctional materials for the treatment of complex wound healing, which has become a global health problem. For example, 'in developed countries it affects the quality of life of more than 2% of the population,' says Nora Ventosa, project coordinator.

Among the challenges, scientists will have to optimise the composition and distribution of molecules in wound dressings, as this has a strong impact on the cells involved in the healing process.

The biomaterials they will use as an alternative to silver are nanovesicles of quatsomes, with proven inherent antimicrobial properties. Quatsomes, which have already been successfully tested for the treatment of diabetic foot, are nanoparticles similar to liposomes, but with high stability over time, and can encapsulate both water-soluble and insoluble molecules.

In the short to medium term, Nabiheal will end up with at least two innovative multifunctional wound healing biomaterials with antimicrobial, antibiofilm, anti-inflammatory, re-epithelialisation and controlled release properties, using affordable EU-based manufacturing technologies.

International consortium

Nabiheal, acronym for "Nanostructured Antimicrobial Nanostructured Biomaterials for Complex Wound Healing", is funded by the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation programme. It has a total budget of almost €5 million over four years.

The interdisciplinary consortium, with members from 7 countries, combines expertise in different areas, such as synthesis and characterisation of biomaterials, biocompatibility and safety, regulatory aspects and ethics, or development and scale-up of products for wound healing.

The project involves 8 academic institutions and 6 companies. In addition to the coordinating team, led by Nora Ventosa, from the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB) and the CIBER, other participants include the CIBER group of the University of Extremadura and the University of Cantabria; the CSIC; Nanomol Technologies S.L. (NT); Bioiberica S.A.U (BIO); Histocell S. L (HCELL); the University of Granada (UGR); Asphalion (ASPH); from Germany, MyBiotech GmbH (MyB) and Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin (CH); from Croatia, the Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health (IMI); from Denmark, Aarhus University (AU); from Israel, the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (IT); from Austria, BioNanoNet Forschungsgesellschaft mbH (BNN); and from Slovenia, the University of Maribor (UM).

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