A futuristic bandage proven to heal wounds more than four times faster than traditional bandages by harnessing the body’s natural movements to generate electric fields is one step closer to being available at corner pharmacies.
About three years ago, researchers in the Department of Surgery and Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison created and tested the first bandages and found that they significantly accelerated wound healing in rats. In September 2021, they published their latest research results in the Journal of Nanobitechnology.
“While the results of our initial study were encouraging, we needed to test whether the bandage would be effective on human skin,” said Burn Surgeon and professor of surgery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. said Angela Gibson, director of wound healing services at University of Wisconsin Health. “When we tested it on wounded human skin transplanted into mice, the wounds healed completely in seven days, compared to the usual 30 days when using standard bandages.”
The bandage works using tiny electrical generators called nanogenerators, which capture energy from the body’s natural movements such as breathing and twitching. The nanogenerator converts that energy into gentle electrical pulses and sends them to electrodes within the bandage, creating an electric field around the wound.
Researchers have long known that electric fields speed wound healing. In fact, the body generates its own weak electric field around the wound. Although the exact mechanism is not fully understood, this study adds to evidence that electric fields can help control the movement of skin cells to promote more efficient healing.
However, previous attempts to use so-called “electrical stimulation” for wound healing have been hampered by the need for bulky equipment and complex wiring. And the pulses produced by such devices can be too strong and damage the surrounding skin.
“The bandages tested in this study did not adversely affect the laboratory animals in any way,” said John, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who created a material that generates electricity from mechanical motion. said Shudong Wang, a pioneer. “Between the first study and this one, we also incorporated nanogenerators into the bandage itself and woven the material to better mimic the way the skin stretches, capturing more energy from the body’s subtle movements.” We also made improvements to the bandage to allow for capture. We are very excited about the results in human skin.”
The bandages are made from relatively inexpensive materials and are not complicated to manufacture, so researchers expect them to be no more expensive than regular bandages.
The researchers say next steps include further refining the nanogenerator and bandage designs to harness energy in different parts of the human body. They hope to test safety and efficacy in large animals before moving to clinical trials within a few years.
“Given the simplicity of the device and expected low cost, we have full hope that this technology will lead to significant improvements in care for the millions of people who suffer from wounds each year,” said Gibson. Stated.
This research is supported by the UW2020 program. Click here to read about the 2018 survey.
For more information about this article, visit WKOW.com and the UW School of Medicine and Public Health website.
