A team from New York’s Binghamton University is attempting to improve the healing process of chronic wounds using a combination of biodegradable papertronics and bacteria-fueled biobatteries.

The researchers suggest that the key for improving chronic wound healing efforts lies in therapeutic dressings that discourage the formation of dangerous biofilms by integrating spore-forming bacteria that produce antibacterial agents as well as controlled electrical stimulation powered by biobatteries.

Source: University of Binghamton

"We have very beneficiary skin bacteria that facilitate systematic immune defense. When you have a wound, this skin bacteria help with healing. The problem is that this environment is perfect for pathogen invasion because it's nutrient-rich, moist and warm. When they start to form a biofilm, it's really hard to eradicate those pathogens, and the wound-healing process can be extended, sometimes for a year or longer," the researchers explained.

To improve upon previous research on live bacterial therapeutics, the Binghamton team reportedly better integrated bacteria into the dressings, which stayed dormant until activated on the wound itself, thereby allowing for long-term storage. The team suggests that as long as there are nutrients, an almost unlimited amount of antibacterial agents will be produced.

Further, the team added copper oxide and tin oxide nanoparticles to the spore-carrying bacteria to create a small amount of power. The team reported that when channeled into the wound, the electric current breaks down the cell integrity of the infecting microbes and thus encourages healing.

The paper-based dressing is detailed in the article, “Unlocking Wearable Microbial Fuel Cells for Advanced Wound Infection Treatment,” which appears in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.