BOSTON – A team of researchers at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering has developed heat-responsive hydrogels for the healthcare sector, found to be capable of reducing the size of an open wound by 45 per cent comparative to alternative solutions.
Reported in the journal Science Advances, the antimicrobial hydrogel is said to exhibit a high degree of stretch, durability and adhesion, and so is thought to represent a high performance and cost effective alternative to current industry alternatives.
“This technology has the potential to be used not only for skin injuries, but also for chronic wounds like diabetic ulcers and pressure sores, for drug delivery, and as components of soft robotics-based therapies,” suggests corresponding author David Mooney, Ph.D., a Founding Core Faculty member of the Wyss Institute.
