Skin-inspired sensor can monitor injuries in real time



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Researchers at Binghamton University, New York State University, have developed a new electronic system that will monitor patient injuries in real time. The flexible electronics has been inspired by human skin.

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"Ultimately, we hope that these sensors and these technical achievements can help advance health applications and provide a better quantitative understanding of disease progression, wound care, overall health, disease surveillance and surveillance. fitness, etc., "said Matthew Brown, Ph.D. student at Binghamton University.

The biosensor is able to monitor lactate and oxygen on the skin. Biosensors are devices that combine a biological component with a physico-chemical detector to observe and detect changes in the body. Although biosensors are a growing field, there are still limits to what they can achieve.

"We are focusing on the development of next-generation platforms that can integrate with biological tissues (eg, skin, neural and heart tissues)," Brown said.

The sensor mimics the skin

Under the guidance of Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Ahyeon Koh, Brown, Master's students Brandon Ashley and Youjoong Park, and undergraduate student Sally Kuan have designed a structured sensor in the same manner as the micro-architecture of the skin.

The electromechanical open mesh sensor has gold sensor cables that can achieve a mechanical similar to that of the elasticity of the skin.

Scientists hope that the sensor will be a discrete element for its wearer. The more a sensor can seamlessly merge with the patient, the better the quality of the data that it can collect.

"This topic was of interest to us because we were very interested in real-time on-site badessment of the progress of wound healing in the near future," said Brown.

"Lactate and oxygen are essential biomarkers for accessing the progression of wound healing."

The sensor detects invisible processes

Important research still needs to be done on this sensor and more broadly in the field of biosensors. But its creators hope this can lead to more multifunctional sensors to help heal wounds.

"The platform of biomimetically structured sensors allows free mbad transfer between biological tissue and bio-interfaced electronics," said Koh.

"Therefore, this intimately bio-integrated detection system is able to determine critical biochemical events while remaining invisible to the biological system or not causing an inflammatory response."

Injury healing is a complex process undertaken by the body. When a person or animal experiences an injury to the skin, the epithelial cells, which constitute the outer layer of the skin, move to the affected area to seal the injury. This healing process can be altered during very large breaks or in the elderly.

Deadly injuries for vulnerable

For the elderly, people with other health problems or patients living in areas where medical injuries are limited can be fatal. Prompt wound healing is essential to prevent infections that can lead to death.

Many scientists are working on new methods of treating wounds. These range from "cell reprogramming" to digital cell injections.

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