Research database

Based on these premises, PERSEUS aims to revolutionize the treatment of these hard-to-heal wounds through the development of a next-generation, patient-specific wound care platform that combines advances in multi-stimuli-responsive biomaterial design, artificial intelligence (AI), and extended reality (XR). The project will engineer smart, glucose-responsive hydrogel dressings capable of controlled therapeutic release, shaped and formulated to the individual wound via AI-guided analysis and XR-based customization tools. Specifically, the versatility of polyurethane chemistry will be first exploited to synthesize an amphiphilic polymer as constituent biomaterial of thermo-sensitive hydrogels. Moreover, the implementation of green and environmentally sustainable approaches will provide the formulation with responsiveness to glucose. Thus, the combination of the characteristic hydrogel micellar network and the responsiveness to external stimuli (i.e., temperature and glucose) will result in a smart formulation with: (i) high versatility in the selection of encapsulated payload; (ii) finely tunable drug release kinetics and, (iii) processability as biomaterial inks under mild conditions. Additionally, AI- and XR-analyzed wound clinical parameters will guide the selection of the most suitable therapeutics and patch fabrication according to morphologies specific to each patient, finally leading to the identification of a general method to translate the engineered versatile formulation into patient-specific wound dressings. Overall, by enabling both therapeutic and morphological personalization, PERSEUS seeks to drastically improve healing outcomes, reduce treatment costs, and support sustainable clinical adoption. Beyond its core biomedical focus, the project introduces an immersive XR-based training environment for clinicians, enhancing the translational impact and scalability of the technology and reducing the need of animal experimentation in accordance with the 3R principles (Refine, Reduce, Replace). Therefore, PERSEUS directly aligns with EU missions in digital health, advanced materials, and patient-centered care, offering a versatile platform with broad implications for the future of personalized medicine.