Engineers create ‘smart wound dressing’

“It’s a very versatile matrix,” Yuk said. “The unique capability here is, when a sensor senses something different, like an abnormal increase in temperature, the device can, on demand, release drugs to that specific location and select a specific drug from one of the reservoirs, which can diffuse in the hydrogel matrix for sustained release over time.”

Delving deeper, Dr Zhao envisions hydrogel to be an ideal, biocompatible vehicle for delivering electronics inside the body. He is currently exploring hydrogel’s potential as a carrier for glucose sensors as well as neural probes.