Research Gene Array Technology

While cellular mechanisms of wound healing are recognized and understood, for the most part, the molecular activity that underlies these mechanisms are largely unknown. Utilizing gene array technology, the investigator can not only pinpoint the correlation of specific genes to specific cellular mechanisms, but also determine the functional pathways of all relevant cellular processes, thus providing a significantly more comprehensive understanding of the entire process of wound healing.

By comparing normal and wounded tissue samples, it is possible to pinpoint the transcriptional profile of the genes actively involved in the wound healing process, and as well, observe differences before, during and after treatment of the wound. A distinct advantage of gene array technology is the ability to measure the transcriptional activity of a large number of genes simultaneously—up to tens of thousands of cDNA gene chips. The real significance of gene array technology, from a technical standpoint, is that the researcher can analyze multiple hybridizations to identify common patterns of gene expression. Thus, this powerful overview capability allows for rapid recognition of exactly how many specific types of gene expression result in specific phenomena at a cellular level.

The first step is to form a transcriptional map of the normal wound healing process. Once this is accomplished, it is then possible to identify the specific differences in each of the different chronic wound types—in fact, for every particular wound. That is, the comparison of transcriptional maps allows for greater understanding of the exact mechanisms of cellular disruption in each category of chronic wound and even each sub-category. Each type of wound will then have its own "ID card". Thus, similarities can be noted between the same type of wound among different patients, and even if there are similarities between different types of wounds, should they occur, in the same patient—or between different types of wounds in different patients.

This pinpoint identification will in turn ultimately correlate with selecting the exact therapy most efficacious for not only the type of wound, but for the specific sub-category of the type of wound—i.e., diabetic foot ulcer Stage III, sub-type 1; diabetic foot ulcer Stage II, sub-type 2, and so on. The converse of utilization of the "ID card" for each type of wound in the context of treatment is that it will also be possible to identify exactly why a specific therapy has not been effective. Much current research illustrates the lack of success of specific growth factors, for example, in the treatment of chronic wounds. If an ID card can be developed for every detailed category of chronic wound, there is no reason, ultimately, why the incorrect treatment would be provided for any patient suffering from any category of chronic wound. This model of gene array technology for wound identification was developed with Dr. Marjana Tomic-Canic, Charles and Dorothea Harris Assistant Professor in the Departments of Dermatology and Microbiology of the New York University School of Medicine.