Smart Bandage for Bacterial Infection Diagnosis and Therapeutics
Available for Collaboration or Funding
Yan Vivian Li
At A Glance
Researchers at Colorado State University have developed an “all-in-one” smart wound dressing that can offer real-time diagnosis of bacterial infection and deliver on-demand treatment simultaneously, resulting in faster wound healing and fighting against antibiotic-resistance. The nanofiber wound dressing contains chimeric bacteriophage/antimicrobial peptide enzymes in addition to enzymes that can degrade bacterial biofilms. These antibacterial/antibiofilm enzymes can be incorporated into the fiber through various manufacture techniques – including nanoparticles, micelles, or spinning of the fibers.
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Bacterial infection of wounds, including burns, diabetic foot ulcers, and surgical-site infections, impact approximately 2 million people and cost more than $18 billion in direct medical cost annually in the United States. For example, chronically infected diabetic foot ulcers are the most critical wound care problem worldwide, and 14−24% of these cases eventually suffer an amputation. Wound dressings are typically used to protect the wound and surrounding tissue from contamination and to promote wound healing. Conventional wound dressings are generally not suitable for chronic and acute wounds, nor are they suitable for treatment or monitoring the infection status of chronic and acute wounds. Novel strategies are in great need for early detection of wound infection to prevent further complications and to enhance the healing process.
- Use of multiple strategies targeting various bacterial strains simultaneously can reduce the probability of antibiotic resistance
- Detection and treatment of bacterial infection all-in-one
- Fights against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria using non-conventional enzymes and antibiotics
Yapor, Janet P, et al. “Polydiacetylene Nanofiber Composites as a Colorimetric Sensor Responding To Escherichia Coli and PH.” ACS Omega, American Chemical Society, 31 Oct. 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30023547.
Last updated: May 2020