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Background

Infection of chronic wounds is a big challenge. Of the 6.7 million people currently living with chronic wounds (e.g. diabetic foot ulcers, venous ulcers, and pressure wounds), 45% experience infection during treatment. Chronic wounds reprersent a significant financial burden ($50B) in healthcare. Additionally, poor infection management in chronic wounds leads to hospitalization, amputation, and even death.

The standard treatments have limitations. While antibiotic drugs are effective means to treat an infection, the risk of developing drug resistance is a big problem.  Silver (Ag) antibacterial wound dressing is an alternative to antibiotic treatment, but silver  is known to be toxic to human cells such as keratinocytes and fibroblasts. 

Proposed Healthcare Solution

Smart band-aid that actively manages microbial infections in chronic wounds

Development Stage

Prototype Development

Funding Cycle

2021-2022

Team

Mark G. Allen, PhD
Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering

Jun Beom Pyo, PhD Candidate
Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering

Iris Lee
Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering

Joe Kim
Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering

 

For more information on this technology, please contact Penn Center for Innovation at pciinfo@pci.upenn.edu.