Drug-imprinted hydrogel for controlled-release wound healing therapy with FAK inhibitors

A team of Stanford researchers has developed a precisely controlled hydrogel drug delivery system that prevents scarring and promotes wound healing in large, full thickness wounds. This biomimetic scaffold targets the delivery of focal adhesion kinase inhibitors (FAKIs), anti-scarring agents that attenuate fibrotic activity (Stanford Docket S11-417). By directly targeting the active agent to a large wound, this pullulan collagen biomatrix can avoid the toxicity from systemic oral delivery and can deliver the drug over larger areas than are possible with injection. In addition, the rate of drug delivery can be adjusted by molecular imprinting techniques, tailoring the hydrogel to the nature of the wound. Therefore, the drug formulation can be delivered either rapidly (for applications such as surgical excisions) or sustained over time (for applications such as burns). This combination of biomimetic scaffolds with pro-regenerative small molecules (FAKIs) creates a potent regenerative therapeutic ready for near term clinical translation for enhanced wound healing and regeneration of large and deep dermal wounds.

Photographs of full-thickness contact burn wounds treated with and without FAKI hydrogel show improved wound healing with FAKI hydrogel treatment (H+FAKI).

Stage of Research
The inventors have developed two distinct drug-laden pullulan collagen hydrogels, one for rapid release and one for sustained release. FAKI therapy delivered with these hydrogels significantly accelerated healing and reduced scar formation in mouse models of full-thickness excisional wounds (sustained delivery) and burn wounds (rapid delivery).