Collaborative Health Sciences Program
Investigating the efficacy of protoporphyrin-based photodynamic therapy in burn wound healing in porcine models
Year Awarded:
2024
Current burn treatment and care impose significant financial burdens. In Wisconsin, this is the third highest health care cost, after premature newborns and organ transplant patients. Slow wound healing, pain and scarring remain the major complications of burn survivors. To address health equity in burn wound care, this research aims to explore whether photodynamic therapy, a low-cost medical technology that can be performed by a non-specialist, can speed up burn healing. The project is also expected to yield important insights into burn wound healing that can be translated to the treatment of other wound types.