For some time now, scientists have known that electrical currents can help heal chronic wounds. And while there are electrotherapy units that are in use, they can be quite bulky and complex. That's why researchers have created an "electric bandage" that's powered by the motion of the body.
Continue Reading
Scientists in Switzerland have developed a new form of hydrogel they say has unparalleled adhesive properties, a characteristic that could prove particularly useful in trying to repair cartilage and meniscus.
Continue Reading
Although we've already heard about hydrogels that help to heal chronic wounds, the University of New Hampshire's Asst. Prof. Kyung Jae Jeong states that most of them aren't porous enough. An inexpensive micro-hole-filled gel made by his team, however, is claimed to perform much better.
Continue Reading
If you need to close up an injury or incision in human body tissue, you use sutures, staples or a surgical adhesive … right? Well, if technology that's currently being developed at Arizona State University gets commercialized, liquid silk combined with gold may eventually be a better way to go.
Continue Reading
Currently, if someone has a damaged cornea (the surface of the eye), it's covered with a "bandage" made from the amniotic membrane of human placentas. While this helps repair the eye, an Australian scientist is developing what he believes may be a better alternative – a wound-healing contact lens.
Continue Reading
Tapping into the machinery of a cell and rewiring it to take on another identity is an exciting capability that scientists are just beginning to explore. Now researchers at the Salk Institute report another groundbreaking advance, converting open wounds into healthy skin.
Continue Reading
Chronic skin ulcers such as those associated with diabetes are notoriously difficult to treat. As a result, we've seen experimental approaches such as spray-on skin, ultrasound band-aids, and silver-laced dressings. Now, scientists are getting very good results using a high-tech lamp.
Continue Reading
Chronic skin wounds may be notoriously difficult to treat, but at the same time they shouldn't be OVER-treated, subjecting patients to more antibiotics than is necessary. That's why scientists have developed a "smart" bandage that only dispenses medication as needed.
Continue Reading
Because diabetics often have both nerve damage and poor circulation, they will often not notice when they receive skin wounds, which proceed to heal very slowly. Those wounds can thus become chronic. A new regenerative bandage, however, could help keep this from happening.
Continue Reading
Not only are large scars often unsightly, but the stiff scar tissue can also limit a person's range of motion, causing discomfort. And although there are procedures that minimize scarring, it's not always apparent if such measures need to be taken. New nanoparticles could help doctors decide.
Continue Reading
See the stories that matter in your inbox every morning