# Emerging Biomedical Engineering Therapies for Infected Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Toward Antibacterial Functionalization and Pathology‐Responsive Regulation

## TL;DR

This review explores new biomedical engineering therapies for infected diabetic foot ulcers, focusing on antibacterial materials and responsive treatments to improve healing and reduce complications.

## Contribution

The paper highlights recent advances in responsive antimicrobial biomaterials and proposes future directions for multifunctional therapies targeting infected diabetic foot ulcers.

## Key findings

- Responsive antimicrobial biomaterials offer stimuli-triggered drug release and tissue regeneration.
- Current treatments for DFUs have limitations that necessitate innovative, multifunctional solutions.
- Integrated systems combining antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and pro-healing properties are envisioned for complex DFU pathophysiology.

## Abstract

Infected diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) endangers patients through complex complications, which seriously increase the risk of amputation, prolongation of disability time and mortality, as well as bring a heavy burden to the medical system. This review focuses on the emerging biomedical engineering therapy of DFU and deeply analyzes the multiple pathogenic factors driving these intractable DFU wounds, including impaired angiogenesis, inflammatory disorder, microbial biofilm formation, and impaired immune response. It also synthesizes current clinical treatments and elaborates on their limitations that underscore the need for innovative solutions. The core of the review delves into recent breakthroughs in responsive antimicrobial biomaterials, emphasizing their stimuli‐triggered mechanisms that enable targeted drug release, enhanced bacterial eradication, and tissue regeneration promotion. Furthermore, it explores future trajectories for multifunctional biomaterials, envisioning integrated systems that combine antimicrobial, anti‐inflammatory, and pro‐healing properties to address the complex pathophysiology of infected DFU. By bridging current clinical challenges with biomaterial innovations, it can provide actionable insights for developing patient‐centric therapeutic strategies in biomedical engineering.

Infected diabetic foot ulcer endangers patients with high amputation, disability, mortality risks, and heavy medical burdens. This review analyzes its pathogenic factors, the limitations of current treatments, the breakthroughs of responsive antimicrobial biomaterials, and the challenge of multifunctional biomaterial innovations for further developing patient‐centric therapeutic strategies in biomedical engineering.© 2026 WILEY‐VCH GmbH