Smart Bandage Glows Fluorescent Green When Infection Is Detected

Scientist have developed a band-aid that turns florescent green, warning doctors when it senses the onset of an infection. Pretty smart. The developers are a group of researchers at the University of Bath. They developed this smart band-aid, which uses a gel-like material to help detect infection at the site of a wound. Inside it is a non-toxic florescent dye that’s released when it comes in contact with bacteria commonly known to cause infections within wounds.

The outer layer is meant to mimic a cell-membrane, so when a pathogenic species of bacteria begins producing toxins and enzymes to break-down normal tissue, it also punctures the membrane like it would any normal cell. The puncture causes a dye to be released, which glows under UV light.

This new kind of wound dressing would work as an early detection system for physicians. But it also doubles as a possible solution to help reduce the use of antibiotics, especially in burn victims. The team has been collaborating with clinical researchers from a pediatric burn center. Their main goal is to help reduce the number of antibiotics prescribed, because there is such a concern of infection.

It’s a damned if you do, damned if you don’t kind of situation. The overuse of antibiotics can lead to strains that are resistant, but the risks of not doing so could be fatal to the patient. This smart band-aid could help change it all.

The next phase of the research has already been funded. Researchers will be using samples from real wounds to test the effectiveness of the dressings, but it will still be some time before this technology will be ready for clinical trials. A report by MIT Technology Review says that if the studies continue to go well this band-aid could be ready for human testing by 2018.

Source: Geek.com