On diabetic foot, wound healing, amputation prevention, and the merger of consumer tech with medical devices
It’s not every day that the professional and the personal intersect in such a deeply life-affirming way. Our latest publication in the International Wound Journal, “Three-Year Recurrence in People With Diabetic Foot Ulcers and Chronic Limb Threatening Ischemia Is Comparable to Cancer,” brought together an extraordinary team of colleagues from UCSF, Baylor College of Medicine, USC,... Continue Reading →
A new study in Nature Communications uncovers how a sugar-binding protein, Galectin-3, can be harnessed to speed healing in diabetic foot ulcers — and how to bypass a major biochemical roadblock.** Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) remain one of the most stubborn complications of diabetes — affecting up to 30% of patients, with recurrence rates approaching 65% within 3–5 years and... Continue Reading →
A New Insight from Samantha D. Minc, MD, MPH, and Team Samantha D. Minc, MD, MPH—now at Duke University—and her coworkers have reported a compelling data in the Journal of Vascular Surgery, titled “Identifying the challenges of amputation prevention in a rural state with mixed methods research engaging patients and providers.” This study employs both quantitative and qualitative... Continue Reading →
📈 Mapping the Footprint of Progress: A Decade of Diabetic Foot Ulcer Research Over the past ten years, diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) research has undergone a remarkable transformation, expanding in scale, sophistication, and global participation. A newly published bibliometric study offers a sweeping view of this evolution—highlighting emerging trends, global contributors, and the scholars shaping... Continue Reading →
A newly published case series by our colleagues Yammine and colleagues in the International Wound Journal sheds light on a deceptively humble yet visually distinctive presentation in the diabetic foot: the “sausage toe.” Once thought rare, this bulbous, swollen toe is increasingly recognized as a clinical marker of underlying osteomyelitis. The study offers a thoughtful reappraisal of... Continue Reading →
I’m thrilled to see Emily Ortman’s PhRMA Foundation blog spotlight our team’s work at USC—funded by a $500K PhRMA Foundation grant—on a smart offloading boot paired with a smartwatch-based digital monitoring platform to improve wound healing for diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). ➡️ Why this matters: The smart boot reduces pressure on foot wounds while embedded sensors capture real-time... Continue Reading →
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Los Angeles, CA, July 23, 2025 — A new study published in the International Wound Journal highlights a striking parallel: the three-year recurrence rates for diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) and reintervention for chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) are comparable to—or exceed—those of advanced-stage cancers, including colorectal, breast, prostate, and even lung cancer. Led... Continue Reading →
LOS ANGELES, CA, July 21, 2025 — A newly published study in Sensors introduces the first validated real-time remote monitoring system for patient adherence and mobility in diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) management. The system, called SmartBoot, leverages wearable edge computing and a cloud-connected platform to track step count, cadence, and boot adherence with unprecedented accuracy—marking a significant milestone in... Continue Reading →
A Nutrient-Driven Balancing Act: How Serine Tunes Stem Cell Fate in Skin Repair Novak et al., 2025, Cell Metabolism ⚖️ Serine, Stress, and Skin: A New Paradigm What if a single non-essential amino acid could pivot stem cells from regenerating hair to healing wounds? A striking new study from Elaine Fuchs’ group at Rockefeller University... Continue Reading →
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 8, 2025 New Study Projects 360 Million Cases of Peripheral Artery Disease by 2050, Driven by Metabolic Risk and Aging Proactive Prevention Could Avert One in Three Cases Chongqing, Los Angeles — A landmark global study published today in Research (DOI: 10.34133/research.0702) projects a 220% increase in peripheral artery disease (PAD) cases worldwide by 2050,... Continue Reading →
