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Burns. Diabetic ulcers. Gunshot wounds. Bedsores. The treatment of these and other wounds may improve, thanks to a new initiative of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The institute announced that it will award $13 million over four years to create four centers to develop innovative therapies for acute and chronic wounds.

Central to the effort is bringing together experts from many fields: microbiologists, engineers, cell biologists, dermatologists, and other physicians. The goal is to deepen understanding of wound healing and apply this knowledge to enhance treatment. "The new centers create interdisciplinary groups of basic scientists and clinicians to work together on their most innovative ideas," said NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D. "Focusing the diverse expertise and approaches of these teams will integrate current knowledge about how wounds heal and generate new strategies to enhance and speed the healing process."

The new Centers for Innovative Wound Healing Research include a total of 36 investigators at 8 universities and medical centers.

For more information about NIGMS funding of research on trauma, burn, perioperative injury, and wound healing, visit http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Initiatives/Trauma/.