Developed by a team from Rutgers-New Brunswick, Columbia University, and the University of Chicago, the device is said to be showing efficacy in experiments in mice. The team’s breakthrough is detailed in Science.
As well as psoriasis, the patch could act as a new technology platform to deliver treatments for wounds and potentially skin cancers, said Simiao Niu, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering in the School of Engineering at Rutgers-New Brunswick.
“We were looking for a new type of device that combines sensing and treatment for managing skin inflammation diseases like psoriasis,” Niu said in a statement. “We found that by combining living bacteria, flexible electronics and adhesive skin interface materials, we were able to create a new type of device.”
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The circular patch is about one inch in diameter and wafer thin. The patch contains electronic chips, bacterial cells and a gel made from starch and gelatin. Tests in mice showed that the device could continuously monitor and improve psoriasis-like symptoms without irritating skin.
Niu said the device is an advance from conventional bioelectronics such as electrocardiograms, which are generally composed of electronic components encased in a soft synthetic layer that reduces irritation when in contact with the body.
Niu said the patch could be seen as a ‘living drug,’ in that it incorporates living cells as part of its therapy. S. epidermidis, which lives on human skin and has been shown to reduce inflammation, is incorporated into the device’s gel casing. A thin, flexible printed circuit forms the skeleton of the device.
When the device is placed on skin, the bacteria secrete compounds that reduce inflammation, while sensors in the flexible circuits monitor the skin for signals indicating healing, such as skin impedance, temperature and humidity.
The data collected by the circuits is transferred wirelessly to a computer or a cell phone, a process that would allow patients to monitor their healing process.
Next steps include clinical trials on humans and US FDA approval to bring the device to market.
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