New e-Patch offers faster wound healing

An e-Patch has been developed that can make the process much faster than traditional wound healing methods. The fact that it has simple components and can be produced at low costs facilitates the applicability of e-Patch.

Three times faster healing rate

Researchers at the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation in Los Angeles have developed a flexible, printable electronic patch that can speed up the healing process of wounds from surgery, burns and other traumas.

The developed e-Patch contains electrodes made of silver nanowires mixed with a seaweed-derived hydrogel known as alginate. The researchers were able to improve the function and stability of the silver nanowires by chemically modifying the alginate and adding calcium. The formed hydrogel was placed over a bio-ink stencil on a silicone sheet. When the stencil was removed after the bio-ink had solidified, the remaining alginate formed the two electrodes.

In studies performed on mice, it was determined that the recovery period was reduced from twenty days to seven days. In addition to the fact that e-Patch significantly accelerated wound healing, improvements were also observed in fewer scars compared to the control group.

Research team Han-Jun Kim: “Thanks to the careful selection of materials and optimization of our gel formulation, we have developed a multifunctional, easy-to-build and cost-effective solution that will greatly facilitate and accelerate wound healing. We were able to develop e-Patch.” said.

By varying the size and shape of the silicone sheets, researchers say it is possible to create ePatchs that can cover and adapt to a wide variety of wounds.