Sensors for Biofilms and Bioburden in Wound Dressings

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Wound dressings are used to speed up the wound healing process while preventing infections. Ideally, wounds should be allowed to heal undisturbed, however the status of the wound needs to be evaluated regularly, to check for infection and enable rapid intervention. Even though antimicrobial dressings are available, their use can be detrimental and these dressings are often delivering antimicrobials at sub-therapeutic levels and therefore may be slowing down wound healing. The project aims to solve these issues through the development of smart dressing that can detect infections in real-time and allow for better wound management. During the project, we will develop biological models to recapitulate infected wounds and test a range of sensor technologies to detect infection. We will then develop a smart dressing prototype based on the most appropriate sensor technology (including read-out) that is most suited for the application, taking manufacturing and assembly constraints into consideration. In summary, the project has the potential to have a positive impact on wound management.