Smart bandages with microsensors will ensure wounds are healing properly

A sensor is being developed which could one day be embedded in bandages to ensure wounds are healing as planned.

Engineers from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh are working on a project to create a micro sensor capable of detecting tiny fluctuations in the repair process.

Microscale mechanical changes will be observed and tracked to allow for better healing, the researchers hope.

It is estimated wounds cost the NHS up to £5.1 billion a year with resources used on burns, diabetic ulcers, caesarean section scars, surgical incisions and simple cuts.

This scan of a wound, made using optical coherence tomography, shows the scab forming at the top (lighter area) and the tissue below (darker area). Engineers at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh are developing a sensor which can monitor microscale mechanical changes +5

This scan of a wound, made using optical coherence tomography, shows the scab forming at the top (lighter area) and the tissue below (darker area). Engineers at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh are developing a sensor which can monitor microscale mechanical changes

What will the sensor do? Researchers at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh hope the microsensor will allow them to ‘understand what actually happens in a wound’.

Little is known about the mechanical process of a healing wound.

The sensor will focus on the microscale - at sub-hair widths.

It will embed in a bandage and track the wound and the healing process.

Sensor will tell us how it is changing and when it will need dressing or treating.

Dr Michael Crichton, who has been awarded £360,000 from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council for the project, said the aim is to ‘understand what actually happens in a wound’.

He added: ‘Lots of research has looked at the biological properties of wounds, but we know very little about the mechanics of how wounds heal, especially at the microscale, which is where changes are happening at sub-hair width scales.

‘We’re working to create a small sensor that can be embedded in a bandage to measure changes in a wound’s properties without interfering with the process.

“The sensor will make small mechanical measurements much like how a doctor would prod a lump - and will tell us how the tissue is changing, or whether the wound needs a different dressing or treatment.

A 3D image of a wound taken at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. Detailed measurements pertaining to the progress of a wound’s healing could be taken using microsensors

“At the moment, we judge the progress of wounds on patients’ reports of pain and how the wound looks to the naked eye of health professionals. Our smart sensor will alert the patient and their care team when intervention is needed to make sure the wound heals better, or when it is all progressing nicely under the bandage.”

It is hoped the project will spark interest from the pharmaceutical industry, with the creams, gels and dressing available as other viable treatment options.

Dr Crichton is working with Dr Jenna Cash, a specialist in wound healing immunology from the University of Edinburgh, on the two-year project.

She said: “This is an innovative, patient-focused research project that addresses the urgent need for us to better understand wounds.

“Our work on the immunological response during healing is reflected in mechanical changes and anything that combines these has the potential for new therapies in this area.”

Culled from Mail Online