Chronic wounds such as diabetic skin ulcers can take a very long time to heal. And with heavy unknowns, too: sometimes, in fact, circumstances can even lead to amputations, or even death.
A new bandage could speed things up by providing electrical stimulation, but only when and if needed.
How is the smart electric bandage made?
The prototype created by the scientists of the Stanford University It is made up of two layers. On the top one there is a polymer film only 100 microns thick, on which the electronic components are mounted. On the lower one, however, a rubbery hydrogel, similar to skin, which comes into contact with the wound.
I biosensors integrated into the bandage they continuously monitor the electrical impedance and temperature of the wound. Past research has shown that impedance increases as wounds heal, while temperature drops as inflammation subsides.
If these indicators show that the wound is not healing efficiently, an electrical device in the bandage sends a small electric current to the underlying tissue. This speeds tissue closure and reduces infection by stimulating keratinocytes (skin cells) to migrate faster to the wound site and rid themselves of bacteria.
In other words: fast healing
The “smart” blindfold is equipped with a radio antenna that communicates wirelessly with a smartphone. By checking the status of the wound on the phone, doctors can avoid disturbing it repeatedly by removing the bandage: this also speeds up healing. When it's time to remove the bandage, simply heat the affected body part to 40º C (104º F) and the hydrogel will peel harmlessly away from the wound surface.
The device speeds up healing times of 25% and increases skin regrowth of 50% in tests conducted on mice. Scientists argue that before it can be used on people it is necessary to adapt it for human use: bring it to the right size and above all reduce production costs to make it accessible to everyone.
Eventually, a smart bandage like this could even incorporate multiple sensors, to measure pH, metabolites and biomarkers. This would not only help chronic wounds heal faster, but would also provide valuable data for understanding the dynamics of the healing process itself.
“We think it represents a new modality,” says Dr. Artem Trotsyukstudy co-author (that I link to you here). “It will enable new biological discoveries and the exploration of previously difficult-to-test hypotheses about the human healing process.”
