USE OF NUCLEIC ACIDS WITH REDUCED PRESSURE THERAPY

1 . A method of treating a wound site, the method comprising

applying a nucleic acid that promotes wound healing to the wound site, and

applying a reduced pressure to the wound site.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the wound site comprises dermal tissue, bone tissue, cartilage, tendon, ligament, nerve tissue, or adipose tissue.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid encodes a protein.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the nucleic acid is operably linked to a control element that directs expression of the protein when the nucleic acid is inside a cell in the wound site.

5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the protein is a structural protein, an enzyme, an enzyme inhibitor, a cell surface receptor or a transcription factor.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the protein is a collagen, a fibronectin, an elastin, a laminin, a Tie-1, a Tie-2, a c-kit, an HIF-1α, a tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase, an integrin, a HoxD3, an hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), or a Net.

7 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the protein is a cytokine.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the cytokine is a fibroblast growth factor (FGF), a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), a transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ), a TGFα, a stem cell factor (SCF), an angiopoietin 1 (Ang1), an epidermal growth factor (EGF), an interleukin, an insulin-like growth factor (IGF), a laminin, a hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), an adrenomedullin, a keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), a bone morphogenic protein (BMP), a cartilage derived morphogenic protein (CDMP), or a placental growth factor (PIGF).

9 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the nucleic acid encodes a protein that increases expression in response to reduced pressure treatment of the wound site.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the protein is interleukin 6 (IL-6), chemokine ligand 7 (Ccl7), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP1), integrin alpha M (Itgam), suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (Socs3), matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8), macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha receptor (MIP1), toll like receptor 1 (TLR1), tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 1b (Tnfrsf1b), heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), calmodulin-like 3, or keratin complex 1 acidic 14 (Krt1-14).

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid specifically inhibits expression of a protein that inhibits wound healing.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the protein that inhibits wound healing is a small mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 3 (Smad3), a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR1), a VEGFR2, a VEGFR3, a connexin, or a myostatin.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the nucleic acid is an antisense nucleic acid specific to an mRNA encoding the protein.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the nucleic acid is, or encodes, (a) a ribozyme or an miRNA specific to an mRNA encoding the protein, or (b) an aptamer that specifically binds and inhibits a protein that inhibits wound healing.

15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the nucleic acid inhibits a naturally occurring miRNA that inhibits wound healing.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the naturally occurring miRNA inhibits expression of VEGF.

17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid is part of a viral vector or a plasmid.

18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the reduced pressure is provided by an apparatus that comprises a dressing that contacts the wound site.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the nucleic acid is on or in the dressing such that the nucleic acid is transmitted to the wound site.

20 . A system for treating a wound at a wound site, comprising:

a distribution manifold;

a reduced pressure source fluidly connected to said distribution manifold to deliver reduced pressure to the wound site; and

a nucleic acid source fluidly connected to said distribution manifold to deliver nucleic acid to the wound site sufficient to treat the wound.