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Future Directions in Research in Transcriptomics in the Healing of Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Advances in Therapy volume 40, pages 67–75 (2023)Cite this article

Abstract

Diabetic foot ulcers are a health crisis that affect millions of individuals worldwide. Current standard of care involves diligent wound care with adjunctive antibiotics and surgical debridement. However, despite this, the majority will still become infected and fail to heal. Recent efforts using bioengineered skin initially appeared promising, but randomized clinical trials have disappointed. Scientists have now begun to understand that the normal wound healing physiology does not apply to diabetic foot ulcers as they maintain a chronic state of inflammation and fail to progress in a linear pathway. Using transcriptomics, research over the past decade has started identifying master genes and protein pathways that are dysregulated in patients with diabetes. This review paper discusses those genes involved and how novel advancements are using this information to create new biologically based compounds to accelerate wound healing in patients with diabetic foot ulcers.

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Acknowledgements

The author’s would like to acknowledge the Rongxiang Xu Center for Regenerative therapeutics at Beth Israel Medical Center.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Rongxiang Xu Foundation. No funding was received by the journal for the publication of this article.

Authorship

All named authors meet the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship for this article, take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole, and have given their approval for this version to be published.

Author Contributions

Concept and Design (BJS, GT, EW, ZL, IM, AV). Manuscript drafting (BJS, ZL, EW). Manuscript editing (BJS, GT, EW, ZL, AV).

Disclosures

Brandon James Sumpio, Zhuqing Li, Enya Wang, Ikram Mezghani, Georgios Theocharidis, Aristidis Veves have nothing to disclose.

Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

This article is based on previously conducted studies and does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rongxiang Xu Center for Regenerative Therapeutics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Palmer 321A, One Deaconess Rd, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Brandon J. Sumpio, Zhuqing Li, Enya Wang, Ikram Mezghani, Georgios Theocharidis & Aristidis Veves

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  1. Brandon J. Sumpio
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  2. Zhuqing Li
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  3. Enya Wang
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Correspondence to Aristidis Veves.

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Sumpio, B.J., Li, Z., Wang, E. et al. Future Directions in Research in Transcriptomics in the Healing of Diabetic Foot Ulcers. Adv Ther 40, 67–75 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-022-02348-2

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Keywords

  • Diabetic foot ulcers
  • Hypoxia inducible factor-1α
  • Transcriptomics
  • Wound dressing