Scientists develop spray gun to ‘paint’ on bandages with drug cocktails tailored to treat patients’ wounds
- The new spray-on bandage loaded with drugs that used a process called electrospinning
- Electrospinning uses electricity to produce microscopic man-made fibers used in many areas such in filtration systems and clothing
- The new device uses air, not electricity, to spray the fibers directly onto wounds
- The team hopes it could be used in rural locations with limited access to care
Doctors and nurses could soon be able to spray bandages filled with drugs directly onto wounds, new research suggests.
Scientists from Montana Technology University, in Butte, say the process – called electrospinning – sprays tiny fibers to cover cuts and scrapes while providing controlled drug release over time.
The medicine woven into the fibers would help speed up the healing process and limit the risk of infection without the need to constantly change wound dressings.
The team also says the system could help save lives in rural areas where immediate care is not available.
Scientists from Montana Technology University in Butte have a developed a new portable device (pictured) that sprays bandages loaded with drugs directly onto wounds to speed healing and limit infection
Electrospinning is a method that produces a thin layer of tiny man-made fibers that are used in several areas including filtration systems and clothing.
But it presents a serious ‘shock hazard’ if used on human skin because it relies on electricity at ‘very high’ voltages.
The team, as explained in the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B, developed a portable electrospinning device with a confined electric field.
Rather than using electricity to deposit the fibers, the new device uses air to spray the fibers, similar to a can of spray paint.
‘In spray painting, pressurized gas forces direct particles toward a surface, creating a sort of deposited material,’ said co-author Lane Huston, a mechanical engineering graduate student at Montana Tech.
‘Like spray painting, the… device is used by directing its nozzle at the desired surface during operation, causing a fiber mat to be deposited onto that surface.’
Researchers say they are the first to successfully test their device on pigs and a ‘gloved human hand.’
The global medical tapes and bandages market is expected to be worth $10.97 billion by 2025, according to Grand View Research, Inc.
This is due to an increasing older population that will likely experience a greater share chronic diseases and injuries.
The team hopes their new discovery will help treat patients in remote areas where primary care is limited or unavailable.
‘The bandage material, as well as the drug used, can be chosen on demand as the situation warrants, making modular and adaptable drug delivery accessible in remote locations,’ Huston said.
‘This new technology will be used to aid doctors, first responders and other medical personnel with wound treatment in rural areas.’