Wound biology is complex. Wounds which were until recently seen only as defects in tissues are now increasingly interpreted in cellular and molecular terms. Growth factors, cytokines, proteases and adhesion molecules which participate in wound healing are discussed in this article. From a clinical perspective, conceptual shifts of importance, including moist wound healing, wound bed preparation and wound assessment, are presented. The frontiers of therapeutics employed in wound healing continue to advance with an increasing array of modalities joining the ranks at a regular pace. A range of currently available as well as evolving therapies- physical (topical negative pressure therapy, warming, electrical stimulation), biological (larva therapy, skin substitutes, stem cell therapy, growth factors, gene therapy) and of a miscellaneous variety (hyperbaric oxygen, dressings)- are appraised.

Wound biology is complex. Wounds which were until recently seen only as defects in tissues are now increasingly interpreted in cellular and molecular terms. Growth factors, cytokines, proteases and adhesion molecules which participate in wound healing are discussed in this article. From a clinical perspective, conceptual shifts of importance, including moist wound healing, wound bed preparation and wound assessment, are presented. The frontiers of therapeutics employed in wound healing continue to advance with an increasing array of modalities joining the ranks at a regular pace. A range of currently available as well as evolving therapies- physical (topical negative pressure therapy, warming, electrical stimulation), biological (larva therapy, skin substitutes, stem cell therapy, growth factors, gene therapy) and of a miscellaneous variety (hyperbaric oxygen, dressings)- are appraised.