Dongfeng Zhang, PhD | Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; Ya Liu, PhD
Competition Sponsor: Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
Awardee Year: 2025
When elderly individuals become bedridden due to chronic illness and are unable to perform self-care, the incidence of related refractory wounds, such as diabetic foot ulcers and pressure injuries, subsequently rises significantly. Chitosan is the sole natural cationic polysaccharide extracted from the shells of marine crustaceans, which has good biocompatibility, strong hemostatic and antibacterial ability, and is often regarded as the preferred raw material for the preparation of hydrogel medical dressings. However, due to the complex composition and disordered structure of chitosan, the gelation performance of hydrogel is not accurate, the microstructure is not clear, and the stability and repeatability of related experimental results are controversial, which cannot meet the requirements of precise control for refractory wounds. Aiming at the bottleneck of the development of marine chitosan industry and the technical problem of sticking neck in the development of wound dressing, this project establishes a high-quality chitosan preparation and homogeneous modification technology with precise structure. To form an innovative technology system for the application and development of marine chitin from random distribution of raw material structure sequence to orderly, from uneven reactivity of modification sites to uniform, and to develop a novel type of marine chitin thermosensitive hydrogel wound repair material with clear structure, precise phase change and clear mechanism. The development of this project will promote the upgrading of biomedical dressing industry, promote scientific and technological innovation to cope with aging and achieve active health.