Transparent bandage

Inexpensive collagen material effectively heals chronic wounds

Georgy Golovanov, Hi-tech+

Diabetic foot syndrome and other chronic wounds are difficult to treat, and in a neglected form can lead to amputation or even death from infection. A new, inexpensive dressing material is able to treat such wounds. It is based on collagen, the main structural protein of the extracellular matrix of connective tissues of the body.

The dressing material developed by the specialists of the University of Michigan has a three-layer skeleton microstructure consisting of intertwined collagen nanofibers and other biopolymers. Upon contact with the wound, the skeleton performs the same tasks as the extracellular matrix of the skin, acting as a kind of "roost" for neighboring skin cells to which they can migrate and multiply, according to a press release A new way to treat chronic wounds.

Articles by Mahmoudi et al. Multiscale technologies for treatment of ischemic cardiomyopathy are published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, Antibacterial properties of nanoparticles – in Trends in Biotechnology – VM.

Nanofibers contain the protein FSTL-1, which stimulates the regeneration of blood vessels; iron oxide nanoparticles, which help prevent infection by stimulating immune cells and killing bacteria; and amino acids peptides, which restrain an overly aggressive immune response.

Transparent bandage on the wound on a white background (top) and on the wound model (bottom) – VM.

The bandage itself is transparent, so that medical workers do not need to remove it to conduct a visual examination of the wound. It will not have to be removed at all, because it gradually dissolves without harm to the body.

So far, the material has been tested on 13 patients with chronic wounds, and has shown one hundred percent healing. The technology is being commercialized by the British company PGWC, which hopes to sell such bandages for $20 apiece.

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