While tourniquets and gauze have long been the standard for treating traumatic wounds, they have major limitations. Tourniquets restrict blood flow, damage skin tissue, and aren’t suitable for use on injuries to the neck or torso. When removed from wounds, gauze may also cause more bleeding. These challenges have driven the research conducted in the Monroe Biomaterials Lab, where biomedical engineering graduate student Natalie Petryk has been involved in pivotal research on degradable foams for treating traumatic wounds.
“There’s a huge need for it,” says Petryk. “The big picture goal is to create effective, affordable hemostatic foams that can be used in every first aid kit and replace current options.”
The foams Petryk has been researching are made from a polymer material called polyurethane, which is commonly used in insulations, bedding, and furniture. Polyurethane foams are porous and absorbent, like a sponge, and compatible with cells and blood, making them effective at controlling bleeding in a wound.
Petryk’s main goal has been to make degradable foam that can break down in the presence of water and oxygen found in blood and skin tissue. This would eliminate the need for foam removal and reduce the risk of wound re-bleeding typically associated with tourniquets and gauze.
“What I enjoy most about the lab space is the ability to do everything from synthesizing the foams to characterizing their material properties, like mechanical and thermal behavior, and exploring biological responses, like how cells and blood interact with the material,” says Petryk. “You acquire a wide breadth of knowledge working in the lab.”
Throughout Petryk’s undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D. studies, she has explored different aspects of these foams to improve their healing capability. Her recent work focused on altering the foam’s chemistry to improve how quickly it degrades and studying how this change in molecular structure impacts the foam’s properties and bleeding control. She has also explored ways these polymer foams could help the healing process with collagen and gelatin, the main building blocks of the body’s skin, muscles, and connective tissues.
“We’ve been thinking about ways to incorporate bioactive components into the foams, something our native tissue is familiar with to promote and encourage cell growth and healing,” Petryk says. “Polyurethane foams are ideal for blood clotting, and we can control their degradation rates, but they are a synthetic material, so cells can’t directly attach. Proteins like gelatin and collagen can drive cell attachment on the foams to facilitate tissue regeneration.”
Working in the Monroe Biomaterials Lab, led by Biomedical and Chemical Engineering Professor Mary Beth Monroe, Petryk is continually inspired by her research and work ethic. “Dr. Monroe has been the best mentor,” Petryk says. “Having a female role model to look up to in the STEM field is truly empowering. Dr. Monroe is extremely supportive and allows us to explore research interests that align with our future goals.”
Petryk presented her research on degradable foams at the American Chemical Society, where she connected with other chemists and gained valuable insights. She also presented her research at the College of Engineering and Computer Science’s annual Research Day, where she won second place for her oral presentation. Additionally, Petryk shared her work at the Society for Biomaterials Northeast Regional Symposia. “Communicating research with a broader audience is really important,” says Petryk. “It makes people care about your work, which can help its societal and clinical impact.”