American scientists have developed a smart bandage that can precisely control the dose and delivery schedule of the medication tailored for a specific type of wound, leading to faster healing.
The bandage has been developed by researchers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US. The study was published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.
Key Features of the Smart Bandage
• It consists of electrically conductive fibres coated in a gel.
• The gel can be individually loaded with infection- fighting antibiotics, tissue-regenerating growth factors, painkillers or other medications.
• It has a microcontroller no larger than a postage stamp, which could be triggered by a smartphone or other wireless device.
• When it is triggered, it sends small amounts of voltage through a chosen fibre that heats the fibre and its hydrogel thus, releasing whatever medication it contains.
• A single bandage could accommodate multiple medications tailored to a specific type of wound.
The smart bandage offers the ability to precisely control the dose and delivery schedule of the medications. According to Ali Tamayol, assistant professor at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the combination of customisation and control could substantially improve or accelerate the healing process.
"This is the first bandage that is capable of dose- dependent drug release. You can release multiple drugs with different release profiles, “Tamayo further explained.
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