A new development by Skoltech scientists
A "smart" sensor will assess the condition of the wound
Researchers from Skoltech and the University of Texas at Austin (USA) presented an experimentally confirmed concept of a wearable sensor that is able to track the healing process of wounds, ulcers and other chronic skin lesions through a bandage. The results of the study are published in the journal ACS Sensors (Simoska et al., Electrochemical Detection of Multianalyte Biomarkers in Wound Healing Efficacy).
Poorly healing chronic wounds on the skin, such as ulcers on the legs in diabetes or bedsores, are extremely difficult to treat and cause serious discomfort in patients. To control the healing process and select the necessary treatment, doctors and nurses have to remove the bandage; at the same time, the already restored areas of the skin are damaged, and the patient has painful sensations. In addition, it requires repeated visits to the doctor to prevent infection of the wound. Visual examination of the wound is often not enough, so you have to use other methods of examination, such as biopsy, smears from the wound surface or analysis for the presence of pathogens. All these expensive invasive procedures can take more than one day and at the same time do not provide the necessary information for choosing a treatment strategy.
The focus of medical technology developers is now on the technology of "smart" bandages, which are wearable sensors capable of tracking the level of biomarkers during wound healing. A group of researchers from Russia and the USA, led by the first vice-rector of Skoltech, Professor Keith Stevenson, investigated electroanalytical methods that have broad prospects for clinical application due to their relative simplicity, sensitivity, reliability and a number of other advantages.
"At the initial stages of the study, we were able to describe the characteristics and demonstrate the high sensitivity and selectivity of the sensor when analyzing a variety of components in complex biological mixtures simulating a real biological environment," says Professor Stevenson.
For research purposes, scientists have developed a prototype of an electroanalytic sensor based on carbon ultramicroelectrode arrays (CUA) on flexible substrates. If in previous works the sensor was installed on a quartz substrate, then in this study the authors have developed a special method for placing gratings on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate to increase the flexibility of the sensor.
The researchers also developed a model of the natural biological environment around the wound, with which they tested the sensitivity of the sensor to three main biomarkers: pyocyanin, which is produced by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which forms colonies in the area of chronic wounds; nitric oxide (NO*), which cells of the immune system produce to protect against bacterial infections; uric acid – a product of metabolism, the level of which is directly related to the severity of the damage. All these compounds are electroactive: this means that they react to electrical activity and can be detected by an electroanalytic sensor.
During testing, it was shown that the sensitivity threshold and the linear dynamic range of the sensor, i.e. the range in which the sensor produces significant quantitative results, correspond to the range of biologically justified concentrations. This means that devices based on such sensors can be used in clinical settings to monitor wound healing. The researchers also tested the sensor on cell cultures, where it successfully detected pyocyanin produced by P.aeruginosa bacteria and nitric oxide (NO*) produced by macrophages − immune cells that destroy bacteria and other dangerous microorganisms. Also, using the sensor, it was possible to detect the influence of a well−known antimicrobial substance - silver ions (Ag+), suppressing the production of pyocyanin by bacteria.
"The next step will be to use this technology for in vivo research and monitoring the effectiveness of wound treatment in patients in clinical settings in real time," says Professor Stevenson.
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