REGNER® receives a CDTI fund to promote a reference research project in e-Health
Regner® Editorial Team
Aiguaviva -
05/01/2022
REGNER® has received a grant for its R&D project “SMAR-TO2, NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC WOUNDS” through the Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial (CDTI).
The objective of this research is to develop a new generation of smart bandage technology to heal chronic wounds such as diabetic and pressure ulcers that affect millions of patients worldwide. Chronic wounds are a serious problem for patients and healthcare professionals worldwide. They pose a major threat to elderly patients, obese or diabetic individuals.
Studies have shown that chronic wounds such as diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers, venous ulcers, skin grafts and burns are the leading cause of non-traumatic limb amputation because they cause reduced blood flow to the tissue which can lead to tissue death and subsequent infection. They cause great suffering and their study highlights the pressure they exert on public health in many countries that see their health services collapsed.
The project stems from the limitations of current strategies for the treatment of chronic wounds. The scope of the SMAR-TO2 project is to advance the knowledge of new drug delivery tools to optimize transdermal delivery of therapies, which involves research in active transdermal delivery, sensor-controlled drug delivery and the integration of an e-Health platform to access real-time data and correct dosage according to requirements. REGNER®, in consortium with the American University in Cairo (AUC) and the company PULSE FOR INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS, will carry out this project over the next two years.
The approval of this project by the CDTI once again certifies REGNER®’s commitment to innovation, as well as the capacity, maturity and knowledge of the company to drive the transformation of the biomedical and health sciences industry, and therefore help improve its efficiency and digitization.
SMAR-TO2: New technology for the treatment of chronic wounds
The project is called SMAR-TO2 as this new technology is equipped with Sensing, Monitoring, Active control, and the localized Release of Therapeutics and Oxygen. The bandage is a new e-Health technology that actively monitors wound status and participates in wound healing.
The bandage will be fabricated in an adjustable elastic polymer. Several sensors and actuators will be integrated monolithically using microfabrication and electronic ink deposition technologies. The sensors will monitor key wound healing biomarkers such as oxygenation, pH and temperature, and will transmit the data to the practitioner for continuous assessment of healing progress and real-time intervention.
Unlike recently developed smart dressing solutions, which rely on passive, topical drug delivery, the SMAR-TO2 bandage features active temporal and spatial control of drug delivery and can deliver therapeutics transdermally directly into the living tissue of the wound bed.
In addition, this bandage will feature, for the first time, a portable oxygen concentrator and intelligent actuators for active control, oxygen and drug delivery. All of this will support faster healing by integrating a set of wound healing practices already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
