The long-term goals of Ms. Thomas' project are to understand how topically applied VitaSol (ATP encapsulated in fusogenic lipid vesicles) can accelerate the rates of wound closure and how VitaSol affect scar formation. A wound to the integument is an area of ischemia and a number of reviews have suggested that the major inhibition to wound healing is the lack of oxygen and nutrients to the wound border cells. vltaSol overcomes the problem of ischemia because ATP is delivered directly to the cells and thus the need for oxygen and nutrients to produce ATP is significantly reduced. Preliminary data in the PI's lab has shown a superior effect of VitaSol on wound closure rates (>70% increase in wound closure time).
The specific aims the project are: 1) Identify the ATP consumption rate of epidermal and dermal skin in swine, 2) Adjust the formulation of VitaSol in order to deliver ATP to the epidermal and dermal wound broader cells at rates that match or exceed the ATP consumption rate of the skin cells, 3) Apply VitaSol to full-thickness and partial thickness wounds and measure the rates of wound closure and scare formation, and 4) Determine the toxicity and morbidity of topically applied VitaSol to the skin and to the whole animal. ? ?
