3D printed wound dressing could improve treatment for burns and cancer patients

This is the claim of researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada, whose dressing has potential applications in the cosmetic industry also.

"To treat burn victims, we can customise the shape using a 3D printer, secondly, the material has fine-tuned surface adhesion, which is a key feature", said Dr Boxin Zhao, a professor in Waterloo's Department of Chemical Engineering, whose team is active in developing intelligent hydrogel materials reusable wound dressings. "The material can easily adhere to the skin and be taken off. It's a very delicate balance within the material to make the adhesion work."

The material also has applications for cancer treatment where, in traditional chemotherapy treatment, a patient may need to be in a clinic for hours. This dressing can provide a constant drug release outside the clinic setting, alleviating some of the challenges associated with traditional methods.

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The material used to create these smart dressings includes a biopolymer derived from seaweed, a thermally responsive polymer, and cellulose nanocrystals.