Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a severe complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). They often result from lesions in the plantar tissue, on the bottom of the feet, that can go unnoticed following the damage to the peripheral nervous system and subsequent loss of foot sensation, termed as diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).

DM currently affects 60 million European adults and more than 400 million people worldwide, half of which have developed DPN. It has been estimated that around 50% of DPN patients will develop DFUs in the following years, which can result in amputations 25% of the time with a 5-year mortality rate of 40%.

Due to low quality of life resulting from difficulties with the healing of DFUs, potential amputations, and the costs associated, the best solution is prevention.