Medical Design Briefs - April 2023 - 29

terials Science and Engineering, Biomedical
Engineering and Neurological
Surgery at McCormick and Feinberg. He
also directs the Querrey Simpson Institute
for Bioelectronics.
n Power of Electricity
Nearly 30 million people in the United
States have diabetes, and about 15-25
percent of that population develops a
diabetic foot ulcer at some point in their
lives. Because diabetes can cause nerve
damage that leads to numbness, people
with diabetes might experience a simple
blister or small scratch that goes unnoticed
and untreated. As high glucose levels
also thicken capillary walls, blood circulation
slows, making it more difficult
for these wounds to heal. It's a perfect
storm for a small injury to evolve into a
dangerous wound.
The researchers were curious to see if
electrical stimulation therapy could help
close these stubborn wounds. According
to Ameer, injuries can disrupt the body's
normal electrical signals. By applying
electrical stimulation, it restores the
body's normal signals, attracting new
cells to migrate to the wound bed.
" Our body relies on electrical signals
to function, " Ameer says. " We tried to
restore or promote a more normal electrical
environment across the wound.
We observed that cells rapidly migrated
into the wound and regenerated skin tissue
in the area. The new skin tissue included
new blood vessels, and inflammation
was subdued. "
Historically, clinicians have used electrotherapy
for healing. But most of that
equipment includes wired, bulky apparatuses
that can only be used under supervision
in a hospital setting. To design
a more comfortable product that could
be worn around the clock at home,
Ameer partnered with Rogers, a bioelectronics
pioneer who first introduced the
concept of bioresorbable electronic
medicine in 2018.
n Remote Control
The two researchers and their teams ultimately
developed a small, flexible bandage
that softly wraps around the injury site.
One side of the smart regenerative system
contains two electrodes: A tiny flower-shaped
electrode that sits right on top of
the wound bed and a ring-shaped electrode
that sits on healthy tissue to surround
the entire wound. The other side of the
device contains an energy-harvesting coil
to power the system and a near-field communication
(NFC) system to wirelessly
transport data in real time.
The team also included sensors that
can assess how well the wound is healing.
By measuring the resistance of the electrical
current across the wound, physicians
can monitor progress. A gradual
decrease of current measurement relates
directly to the healing process. So, if the
current remains high, then physicians
know something is wrong.
By building in these capabilities, the
device can be operated remotely without
wires. From afar, a physician can
decide when to apply the electrical stimulation
and can monitor the wound's
healing progress.
" As a wound tries to heal, it produces a
moist environment, " Ameer says. " Then,
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Medical Design Briefs - April 2023

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