WHS: Innovations in Wound Healing: Biomaterials, Regeneration, and Smart Technologies

This session will include presentations from two faculty who were nominated by the Wound Healing Society (WHS) to share their research.

Natural Biomaterial Dressings Enhance Chronic Wound Healing after Spinal Cord Injury
Suneel Kumar, PhD
This talk describes how natural biomaterials, such as chitosan and polygalacturonic acid, can improve chronic wound healing in a preclinical mouse model of spinal cord injury. It focuses on challenges in tissue repair and how bio-derived dressings can support regeneration, reduce inflammation, and enhance recovery.

Emerging Bioengineered Platforms for Wound Healing: From Regenerative Medicine to AI-Driven Personalization
Fateme Fayyazbakhsh, PhD
This presentation will highlight emerging technologies shaping the future of wound care, including regenerative medicine, bioprinting, wearable sensors, transdermal therapeutic platforms, AI-powered diagnostics, and skin tissue models. The field is shifting toward integrated systems that combine smart biomaterials with controlled microenvironment design to actively regulate inflammation, regeneration, and scar formation, rather than passively covering wounds. The talk will also highlight recent advances in bioengineering and their translational potential for clinical applications and personalized treatment strategies.