Magnetic wound-healing gel shows promise in treatment of diabetic wounds
Researchers in Singapore have engineered a magnetic wound-healing gel to accelerate the healing of diabetic wounds, reduce the rates of wound recurrence, and lower the incidents of limb amputations.
Natural wound-healing capabilities are compromised for people living with diabetes who can develop chronic wounds that are slow to heal. These non-healing wounds could cause serious infections resulting in outcomes such as limb amputation.
Developed by a team at the National University of Singapore (NUS), each treatment involves the application of a bandage pre-loaded with a hydrogel containing skin cells for healing and magnetic particles. To maximise therapeutic results, a wireless external magnetic device is used to activate skin cells and accelerate the wound healing process. According to NUS, the ideal duration of magnetic stimulation is about one to two hours.
The wound-healing gel is loaded with two types of FDA-approved skin cells – keratinocytes (essential for skin repair) and fibroblast (for formation of connective tissue) – and tiny magnetic particles. When combined with a dynamic magnetic field generated by an external device, the mechanical stimulation of the gel encourages dermal fibroblasts to become more active.
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