University of Connecticut

A torn rotator cuff can be debilitating enough on its own, but unfortunately once such an injury has occurred, it's more likely to happen again. An experimental new mesh could help keep that from happening, thanks to tiny pieces of graphene.

Researchers have discovered how some viruses can alter the smell of their host in order to attract mosquitoes. A study found dengue and Zika viruses can alter a host’s skin microbiome to enhance the volume of odor molecules that draw in mosquitoes.

By stimulating cells to reproduce, electricity has already been shown to help heal soft tissue injuries. Now, an electricity-producing implantable material likewise appears to boost the regrowth of cartilage in compromised joints.

A new study has explored how damaged, lingering cells called senescent cells can negatively influence the behavior of fat cells, and demonstrated how their removal can alleviate diabetes symptoms in obese mice.

Studies have already shown that electrical stimulation helps heal wounds, including broken bones. Scientists have now developed what could be a better way of delivering electricity to such bones, in the form of a biodegradable implant.

We've already heard about implantable materials with a scaffolding-like microstructure, that help heal broken bones by giving bone cells a place to migrate into. A new one could work even better, though, by also providing electrical stimulation.

When someone suffers a loss of skeletal muscle, it can be very difficult getting new muscle to grow in its place. A new handheld device is designed to help, however, by directly depositing scaffolding within the patient's body.

The treatment of chronic wounds often involves the application of different medications, at different stages in the healing process. A new electronic bandage could allow this to happen, but without having to be removed for each application.

​For several years now, we've been hearing about "microneedle patches" that deliver medication less painfully and more safely than hypodermic needles. A new take on the technology may allow them to work even better, by copying the structure of venomous snakes' fangs.

​When doctors want to monitor conditions such as swelling of the brain, they'll sometimes implant a sensor that emits an electrical signal whenever it's subjected to pressure. The problem is, those sensors have to taken out afterwards. That may not be the case much longer, though.

Surgery is sometimes required for torn rotator cuffs, although the weakened tendons will frequently just tear again after the operation. Now, however, scientists have developed a method of regenerating rotator cuff tendons, using a polymer mesh seeded with stem cells.

Researchers from the University of Connecticut have created color and transparency changing materials that alter their properties in response to mechanical force. The team believes that these techniques may one day help create everything from smart windows to physical encryption devices.