Imagine having a wound that never heals. That can happen to people with certain diseases, like diabetes. U.S. scientists are working on prototypes of “smart” bandages that can speed the healing process.
Diabetes can cause poor blood circulation and a weakened immune system. Sometimes, the disease even leads to nerve damage. Combined, these conditions can result in the inability of the body to heal its wounds. In these cases, bandages do little more than cover up the problem. Cuts that don’t get better can become seriously infected. And while wounds fester, costs to treat them soar: Around $25 billion each year is spent on disease-related wound care.
Scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the Keck School of Medicine are working on what they call “cyber skin.” Their version of the smart bandage is equipped with wireless electronic sensors. The sensors look like tiny forks, no larger than a fingertip.
A doctor connects to the bandage via Bluetooth to check a wound’s status with a few taps on a phone. Based on what the doctor prescribes, the bandage can release antibiotics or other medicines. This is especially helpful if the wound has become infected. The bandage can even send an electrical current through the body’s tissues to prompt faster growth. This is called galvanotaxis.
Northwestern University researchers developed a similar bandage. In their version, the electrical signals have one more job: to monitor the wound’s moisture level. If the wound is still wet, it still needs more time to heal.
A smart bandage under construction at Stanford University has many of the same features. Artem Trotsyuk is a scientist on the development team. “With stimulation and sensing in one device,” says Trotsyuk, “the smart bandage speeds healing. But it also keeps track as the wound is improving.”
Stanford’s design is a yellow disc that’s about the size of a silver dollar. It incorporates a synthetic material called hydrogel, which pulls away from the patient’s skin when warmed to a few degrees above body temperature. That ensures that the wound won’t reopen when the bandage needs to come off.
Most researchers test smart bandage prototypes on animals like rats. Human trials for the Caltech bandage began in March and will continue for about 18 months. These high-tech bandages won’t be available at doctor’s offices anytime soon. But if the trials go well, people might be going to the doctor a lot less in the future.
Why? Jesus made a point of healing many who were sick. Since we bear Christ’s image in the world, we can be involved with and excited to see the work of healing mercy continue.
