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Research Collaborations

Diabetic Limb Salvage Fellowship conducts diverse research on wound management and treatment, with a focus on complex cases such as diabetic foot ulcers and pressure ulcers in veterans with spinal cord injuries.

Our research involves innovative techniques and therapies, including:

  • Optical coherence tomography for chronic wounds
  • Negative pressure wound therapy with supplemental O2
  • Laser treatment for foot ulcers
  • Utilizing biotherapies

We also explore various interventions, such as pressure alternating shoes and medical socks for diabetic foot wounds.

Our studies encompass both clinical outcomes and scientific insights, addressing factors like infection progression, immune responses, and inflammatory biomarkers.

We collaborate with industry partners and institutions to advance wound care strategies and enhance patient outcomes.

Our Projects

Spinal Cord Injury

Dr. Jennifer Kargel’s research focuses on the outcomes of stage III/IV pressure ulcers in veterans with spinal cord injury.

Optical Coherence Tomography

Dr. Jeffrey Kenkel, Dr. Paul Kim, and Dr. Yucel Akgul have embarked on a pilot study evaluating the novel application of optical coherence tomography to image chronic and non-healing wounds.

Wound Therapy

Dr. Lawrence Lavery’s study encompasses various studies focused on advancing wound healing and management techniques, particularly in the context of porcine models and diabetic patients.

The project includes the following key investigations:

  • A pilot study to evaluate the effect of intermittent negative pressure wound therapy with supplemental O2 on porcine wound healing (Stark Enterprises)
  • Porcine infected wound intervention study (Micreos Human Health)
  • Treatment of foot and leg ulcers using a laser
  • Negative pressure wound therapy as a drug delivery system
  • Wound management through quantitative documentation and prediction (NIH)
  • Non-invasive testing to evaluate wound healing in diabetes
  • The effect of implementing a limb loss prevention program on amputation rates
  • Pressure alternating shoes for prevention of diabetic foot ulcers (NIH)

Osteomyelitis

Dr. Lawrence Lavery and Dr. Andrew Crisologo’s research comprises several studies focused on various aspects of diabetic foot complications, particularly osteomyelitis and diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).

The project includes the following key investigations:

  • Osteomyelitis: evaluating Spect-CT and bone biopsy (American diabetes association)
  • Multi-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial evaluating Skinte® in the treatment of Wagner 2 DFUS - closure obtained with vascularized epithelial regeneration for DFUS with Skinte® (cover DFUS) (Polarity, Inc.)
  • A randomized, open-label, controlled, phase 2 study to assess safety, tolerability, and efficacy of adjunctive treatment with topically applied MBN 101 in hospitalized patients with moderate to severe diabetic foot infection (DFI) (Microbion corp.)
  • A registry study for subjects who participated in ambulate DFU and ambulate DFU ii (Tissuetech, Inc.)

Dr. Lawrence Lavery and Dr. Kathryn Davis's research project centers on improving the diagnosis and treatment of diabetic foot osteomyelitis, as well as evaluating the effectiveness of different wound healing approaches.

The project comprises two main components:

  • Inflammatory biomarkers to diagnose and monitor diabetic foot osteomyelitis
  • Compare the efficacy of NPWT pro versus KCI Ulta NPWT and compare NPWT pro versus NPWT pro with simultaneous irrigation on wound healing.

Biotherapy

Dr. Lawrence Lavery, Dr. Paul Kim, and Dr. Andrew Crisologo’s research project focuses on the evaluation of innovative biotherapies for the treatment of complex diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).

The project comprises two distinct studies:

  • A multicenter phase 3 confirmatory trial of biotherapy using cryopreserved human umbilical cord (ttax01) for late-stage, complex non-healing diabetic foot ulcers (ambulate DFU ii) (Tissuetech, Inc. )
  • Prospective, randomized, single-center study to compare clinical outcomes between cryopreserved and lyopreserved Stravix as an adjunct to NPWT in the treatment of complex wounds (Osiris therapeutics, Inc.)

Celliant Diabetic Medical Socks

Dr. Lawrence Lavery and Dr. Paul Kim's research project revolves around the evaluation of innovative biotherapies for the treatment of complex diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).

The project comprises two distinct studies:

  • Study to evaluate Celliant diabetic medical socks to increase tissue oxygenation and incidence of complete wound closure in diabetic foot wounds (Hologenix LLC)
  • Risk factors and outcomes of diabetic foot pathologies
  • Characterization of Amnioexcel plus in two treatment paradigms (Integra Lifesciences Corp.)

Bacterial Activity

Dr. Lawrence Lavery, Dr. Paul Kim, Dr. Andrew Crisologo, and Dr. Kathryn Davis's study evaluates bacterial activity that drives the progression of clinical infection (AstraZeneca pharmaceuticals lP).

Immune Response

Dr. Andrew Crisologo’s research details a dynamic functional immune assay to evaluate the immune response of a patient with diabetes and a foot infection. (ACFAS)

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