Because second- and third-degree burns damage underlying layers of skin, they can take a long time to heal. Such extended healing periods are not only painful to the patient, but increase the risk of infection and scarring. While various medications are available to deal with pain and infection, there is currently no commercial treatment to speed up the rate of healing of burn wounds. Now researchers have developed a nanogel that could fill this hole.
Developed at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research’s (A*STAR’s) Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) in Singapore, the nanogel is based on the Institute’s proprietary self-assembling ultrashort peptide technology. These are short sequences of amino acids that self-assemble into nanofibers and form a fibrous gel when water is added.
via Gizmag
Image: Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology
