The CDTI Innovation seeks a Spanish company to collaborate with Egypt in the biotreatment of wounds and ulcers of diabetes

Dr. Osama Sayed, professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Sinai University of Egypt, is looking for a Spanish company to carry out an R&D project in the biotreatment of wounds and ulcers associated with diabetes.

This project arises from the clinical challenge posed by diabetic foot ulcers and chronic wounds associated with diabetes, since the diabetic wound microenvironment is simultaneously affected by four mutually reinforcing factors: persistent oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, microbial colonization or biofilm formation and altered epithelialization and angiogenesis. Conventional treatments, such as debridement, dressings, glycemic control, antibiotics, and single-targeting growth factor therapies, address these factors in isolation and may therefore result in incomplete wound closure. On the other hand, inorganic selenium has a narrow therapeutic margin and most chemically synthesized selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) require toxic reagents, energy-intensive processes and non-biocompatible stabilizers, which limits their clinical application.

To address this problem, the project proposes to use a combined aqueous extract of honey and royal jelly as a single ecological and integral "reaction medium" to reduce, stabilize and biofunctionalize selenium ions and convert them into selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs). Honey provides reducing sugars, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, organic acids and osmotic antimicrobial activity, while royal jelly provides proteins, peptides, 10-HDA, royalactin and lipids with the ability to modulate keratinocyte migration, nitric oxide production and TGF-β signaling. The result would be a nanoparticle with an elemental selenium core coated by a bioactive crown of molecules derived from bees, so that the synthesis route itself is part of the therapeutic proposal.

The proposed proposal aims at its presentation to the call 2026 of the ESIP program "Egypt Spain Innovation Programme", within the framework of the Spanish-Egyptian Bilateral Technological Cooperation Program, which will remain open until December 3, 2026.

Interested Spanish companies can consult additional information on the search for a partner and a summary of the proposal in this link.

Contacts

For further information on the technical scope of the proposal and the role of the Spanish company, you can contact Dr. Osama Mohamed Mahmoud Sayed, via email: osama.sayed@su.edu.eg.

If you would like specific information and advice on this partner search and/or on the ESIP call, you can contact the Office of the North Africa and Middle East Delegation of the CDTI Innovation:

• José Manuel Durán: josemanuel.duran@cdti.es
• Francisco Sánchez Quintana: francisco.sanchez@cdti.es

CDTI Innovation

The Center for Technological Development and Innovation, CDTI E.P.E. It is the innovation agency of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, whose objective is the promotion of technological innovation in the business environment. The mission of the CDTI is to ensure that the Spanish business fabric generates and transforms scientific and technical knowledge into globally competitive, sustainable and inclusive growth. In 2025, within the framework of the Strategic Plan 2024-2027, the CDTI provided 2,423 million euros of support to Spanish companies and startups.

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