SMART DRESSINGS

Researchers from RMIT University in Melbourne have developed smart wound dressings with built-in nanosensors that glow to alert patients when a wound is not healing properly. The antimicrobial dressings feature fluorescent sensors that glow brightly under UV light if infection starts to set in and can be used to monitor healing progress. They are cheaper to produce than silver-based dressings but equally effective in fighting bacteria and fungi, with their antimicrobial power lasting up to a week. Project leader Dr Vi Khanh Truong said the development of cost-effective antimicrobial dressings with built-in healing sensors was a significant advance in wound care.