„Diagnostics beyond bacteria“ – Wundabstriche zur Analyse biomolekularer Krankheitsmuster in chronischen Wunden

Patient-specific therapeutic approaches are important in the care of people with chronic wounds. The heterogeneity of underlying disease profiles as well as the diversity of the wound microenvironment make generalizable approaches difficult. While molecular analysis methods such as high-throughput methods (OMICS) are increasingly widespread and more available, the analysis of objective biomolecular disease patterns has largely not found its way into everyday diagnostics and therapy management.

Evaluation of the use of wound swabs for the analysis of biomarkers and disease patterns in cutaneous wounds.

A sample cohort from the multicenter Wound-BIOME project was analyzed. The project aims to investigate the local wound microenvironment of different entities, healing tendencies, and regeneration stages on a biomolecular level. To this end, a protocol for sample collection and handling suitable for everyday use was developed and tested. Furthermore, feasibility analyses for multiplex immunoassay, proteomics, and metagenome analyses (microbiome) were carried out.

Despite heterogeneity between samples, sufficient amounts of protein and microbial DNA with adequate quality could be extracted to analyze biomolecular patterns. Initial analyses of descriptive protein signatures and microbial taxonomy patterns show promising approaches for future individualized, objective diagnostics and targeted therapeutic interventions.

Standardized wound swabs are generally well suited for obtaining sample material for the analysis of the complex wound environment using various high-throughput methods.