3D Printed Indicator Strips For Commercial Wound Dressings and Other Healthcare Products

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This project addresses the need for an inexpensive, disposable wound monitoring method that can be readily incorporated into current commercial wound dressings providing clinicians, nurses, and patients with a continuous stream of information about key biomarkers. This will help identify the condition/status of a wound and indicate those that are not healing properly and require further medical intervention. The proposed process involves 3D printing of a multi-analyte strip comprised of four different colour-based indicators which are selective in response to different volatile biomarkers. This strip will provide a semi-continuous, on-demand, stream of information concerning the composition of the headspace above the wound and contained by the dressing with regard to the different biomarkers. This strip will not be developed in isolation, but rather with an international producer of wound dressings, ConvaTec, who will help explore the capabilities and applicability of the 3DCIS (3D colorimetric indicator strip) indicator technology as it emerges from an associated EPSRC project to add value to their existing wound-care products. Collaboration with a company will allow for potential barriers to commercialisation of the sensor strip such as design & development, regulatory and clinical affairs, supply chain, manufacturing, and marketing to be addressed. The proposed project is in line with the recently announced 'Healthcare' research theme of the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and QUB's PRP on Material and Advanced Technologies for Healthcare. The proposed project is also aligned with the EPSRC's extensive efforts in promoting impactful research for healthcare.