Chronic lower extremity wounds (diabetic foot ulcers)
are a serious
and prevalent complication of diabetes. These wounds exhibit low healing
rates and present a high risk of amputation. Current diagnostic options
for foot ulcers are limited to macroscopic wound analysis such as
wound depth, implicated tissues, and infection. Molecular diagnostics
promises to improve foot ulcer diagnosis, staging, and assessment
of the treatment response. In this perspective, we report recent progress
in understanding the pathophysiology of diabetic wound healing and
point to recently emerged novel molecular targets for wound diagnostics.
We discuss selected diagnostic wound dressings under preclinical development
that detect one or several inflammatory markers, bacterial secretions,
hyperglycemia, and mechanical stress. We also highlight key translational
challenges of investigational diagnostic bandages for diabetic foot
ulcers.