2024-05-28
June 13,2024 By Carleigh Gabryel
Researchers have created a dissolvable,ultra-elastic adhesive patch to deliver therapeutics that promote healing.
Graphics showing feet and bandages on different parts of the feet.
These bandages successfully adhere to dynamic areas of the body,like feet,outperforming current bandages.
From chronic wounds to battlefield triage to heart surgery,this self-sticking bandage is designed to adapt to any body surface,internal or external,creating a bond stronger than current FDA-approved adhesives.The applications of this innovation are detailed in Nature Communications.
“Our patch mimics the skin’s expandability and flexibility,stretching as a person moves,”says principal investigator Juliane Nguyen,professor in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.“Normal bandages contract in one direction as they expand in another.Ours are designed to expand in both directions,preventing tissue damage and promoting adhesion.”
This unique design—known as an auxetic structure—is 3D-printed and can be specified for the part of the body it will be used on.A bandage used on skin has a different structure than a bandage used on the heart.As preclinical testing,including mice and synthetic skin models,has shown,this design allows the patch to move with even the most dynamic areas,like elbows,feet,or lungs.
