WHY IT MATTERS
Chronic wounds pose an increasing health challenge worldwide, particularly for older adults and individuals with diabetes or obesity. These wounds can lead to serious consequences such as infection and, in some cases, amputation. They can also have a significant impact on daily life, independence and overall well-being. Current treatments, such as fibre dressings or hydrocolloid gels, often cannot reach the deeper parts of complex wounds like diabetic foot ulcers or pressure ulcers. These wounds may develop narrow tunnels and cavities that limit oxygen and nutrient supply, slowing the healing process. INJECTHEAL is developing an innovative injectable hydrogel designed to work where traditional dressings cannot: deep inside the wound. This innovative technology targets the underlying causes of chronic wounds, helping reduce inflammation, combat infection, and stimulate natural tissue repair to promote healing and enhancing quality of life.
How does it work?
The hydrogel is smoothly injected directly into the wound, where it gently fills its unique shape and depth. This allows for precise delivery of therapeutic agents, improved blood-vessel formation, and faster, more complete healing. It offers new hope for patients who have not responded to standard care.
This project matters because people living with chronic wounds deserve more than temporary relief. Individuals requiring treatment deserve care that supports healing, restores comfort, and helps them reclaim their quality of life.
With INJECTHEAL, caring for chronic ulcers becomes easier. The treatment stays active longer, so your dressing doesn’t need to be changed as frequently. This reduces pain and irritation, helping your wound heal in a more stable, comfortable way. It also means fewer appointments and less worry for you. Specifically, INJECTHEAL uses a ‘smart’ hydrogel that releases medication slowly over a period of 7 days. This sustained release capability allows the dressing to remain in place much longer than standard treatments, avoiding the discomfort and disruption of daily changes.
Direct treatment of deep wounds
This technology delivers treatment directly into deep wounds, reaching the areas that need help most. It provides continuous healing support from within, reducing the need for frequent dressing changes. This approach helps ease discomfort, lowers infection risk, and promotes more stable, effective healing over time. INJECTHEAL achieves this by being injected as a fluid that flows into the narrow tunnels and irregular shapes of deep wounds before setting into a gel. This ensures that the healing medication physically touches and treats every part of the cavity, something traditional flat dressings cannot do.
Support for tissue regeneration
This treatment helps lower infection and inflammation inside the wound, creating a healthier environment for healing. By keeping the area protected and stable, it supports the natural tissue recovery. This improves the wound’s ability to regenerate effectively, leading to stronger and more sustained healing. INJECTHEAL achieves this by delivering advanced active ingredients directly to the wound site. Alongside biological signals (bio-ligands) that guide cell migration, it uses the Ac2-26 peptide and specific molecules called siRNAs. These components do double duty: they calm chronic inflammation and actively stimulate repair by encouraging your body to grow new blood vessels and rebuild skin tissue.
Improvement of overall well-being
By reducing pain, infection, and the frequency of dressing changes, this treatment aims to improve daily comfort and stabilize the recovery process. Importantly, INJECTHEAL addresses the psychological and operational burden of chronic care: extended treatment intervals mean less anxiety and disruption for the patient, while significantly reducing the workload and stress for patients, caregivers and nursing staff. Additionally, the hydrogel incorporates a colorimetric indicator to monitor wound pH, enabling non-invasive assessment of the healing status without the distress of painful, invasive checks.
LINDSAY LEG CLUB FOUNDATION
Within the INJECTHEAL consortium, The Lindsay Leg Club Foundation brings a truly compassionate, person-centred voice to the project. With many years of experience supporting people living with lower-limb conditions, the Foundation is deeply committed to listening to and learning from those affected by leg ulcers. By honouring their stories, priorities, and lived experiences, the Foundation helps ensure that the project is shaped not just by innovation, but by genuine understanding, dignity, and care for the people at its heart.
To find out more about the commitment of the Lindsay Leg Club Foundation, visit their website: https://www.legclub.org/.
ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN THE WOUND CARE COMMUNITY
Beyond our consortium member, the Lindsay Leg Club Foundation, we are committed to being an active part of the scientific and clinical community. This ensures our development remains aligned with real-world medical needs.
We are a regular attendee at: EWMA – European Wound Management Association
EWMA is the leading European non-profit organisation linking national wound management associations, health professionals, and the industry.
Attending EWMA allows us to connect directly with the specialized people who treat wounds every day—including vascular surgeons, dermatologists, and wound care nurses.
These events are crucial for us to listen to clinicians’ experiences. By understanding the specific challenges, they face in operating rooms and clinics, we can fine-tune our injectable hydrogel to ensure it is not only effective but also practical and easy for surgeons to use in complex deep-wound scenarios.
Visit their website: https://ewma.org/
USEFUL LINKS
Staying Connected & Informed
We also closely follow the work of major international associations to stay up to date on the latest guidelines, clinical standards, and patient needs. While we may not attend every meeting, monitoring these organisations ensures our solution aligns with global best practices.
- WOCN – Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Society
An international professional society for nurses dedicated to the care of patients with wound, ostomy, and continence needs. Their standards help us understand the daily nursing care required for chronic wounds.
Visit their website: https://www.wocn.org/ - EPUAP – European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel
EPUAP leads the effort to prevent and treat pressure ulcers across Europe. Following their guidelines helps us ensure our treatment effectively addresses the specific challenges of deep pressure injuries.
Visit their website: https://epuap.org/ - AIUC – Associazione Italiana Ulcere Cutanee (Italian Association for Cutaneous Ulcers)
As a key Italian association, AIUC provides a vital network for professionals and patients in Italy, focusing on training, research, and improving care standards for skin ulcers.
Visit their website: https://www.aiuc.it/ - ESCMID – European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Since infection is a major complication in chronic wounds, following ESCMID helps us stay informed on the latest strategies for combating microbial resistance and managing infected tissue.
Visit their website: https://www.escmid.org/ - WUWHS – World Union of Wound Healing Societies
The premier global body for wound care, representing over 90% of practicing specialists worldwide. They set the global agenda for raising the standard of wound practice and delivery.
Visit their website: https://www.wuwhs2026.org/wuwhs/home - AAWC – Association for the Advancement of Wound Care
The leading interdisciplinary wound care organization in the United States. Following them allows us to keep a global perspective on wound care advancements and regulatory standards.
Visit their website: https://aawconline.memberclicks.net/
Focus on Diabetes & Limb Preservation
Because chronic wounds are frequently linked to diabetes, we also engage with organisations dedicated to diabetic care and amputation prevention.
- IDF Europe – International Diabetes Federation Europe
We follow IDF Europe to stay connected with the broader diabetic community. Since many chronic wounds are diabetic foot ulcers, understanding the patient journey with diabetes is essential for our project.
Visit their website: https://idf.org/europe/ - D-Foot International
Their specific mission is to end avoidable lower-limb amputations caused by diabetes. Their work guides us in focusing our solution on limb preservation and reducing the severe consequences of diabetic foot ulcers.
Visit their website: https://d-foot.org/
Latest Research & Reviews
To ensure our development is grounded in the most current scientific evidence, we continuously monitor the latest literature in chronic wound management and regenration. Below is a selection of key articles that highlight the growing importance of advancement in chronic wound management and chronic wound healing.
- Nature Reviews Materials:
Wound management materials and technologies from bench to bedside and beyond
DOI: 10.1038/s41578-024-00693-y - Nature Reviews desease primers:
Chronic wounds
DOI: 10.1038/s41572-022-00377-3 - Nature Biotechnology:
Healing chronic wounds with a wireless smart bandage with integrated sensors and stimulators
DOI: 10.1038/s41587-022-01564-z - Trends in Biotechnology:
Glutaraldehyde-induced porcine model mimics human chronic wounds: insights into pathophysiology and therapeutic applications
DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2025.11.001 - Journal of Controlled Release:
Chronic wounds: Current status, available strategies and emerging therapeutic solutions
DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2020.09.039