Master of Science / A quarter of diabetics suffer from diabetic foot ulcers due to chronic nerve damage, a leading complication found in many patients. Symptoms cause changes in the skin's environment, leading to frequent cuts in the skin. This often results in recurrent foot ulcers that are at high risk of infections. Currently, typical treatments take the form of antibiotics, which can lead to serious fungal or yeast infections. Candida albicans is one of the leading non-bacterial pathogens causing infections in diabetic foot ulcers, and if left untreated, these infections can progress into candidiasis. Candidiasis causes inner tissue damage that often requires amputations or, in severe cases, enters the bloodstream, leading to death. Candida infections are typically treated with azoles like fluconazole. There is an unmet need to develop new strategies to detect and treat Candida infections. In this work, we developed hydrogel-based Engineered Living Materials (ELMs) as an antifungal wound dressing. Additionally, to increase the efficacy of engineered antifungal dressing, we develop a genetic drug releasing system in the presence of blue light. Thus, here we describe the fundamental work-frame for the development of smart wound dressing to treat various fungal and bacterial infections.

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