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Infection-fighting bandages for serious burns

New technology aimed at reducing the death rate among victims of serious burns

Date:
February 25, 2016
Source:
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Summary:
A new generation of biological infection-fighting bandages could reduce the death rate among victims of serious burns, report burn specialists.
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Serious burn victims are immunocompromised and may be missing skin on parts of their body, and this makes them highly vulnerable to bacteria. Thanks to progress in intensive care, they are decreasingly likely to die from burn trauma. Death is more commonly the result of infections that can occur several months after being hospitalized. The bandages used to treat burns actually represent a real breeding ground for microbes.

To combat these bacteria, which are increasingly antibiotic-resistant, a consortium of Swiss researchers worked on a biological bandage able to accelerate the scarring process and, ultimately, prevent bacteria from multiplying. The researchers focused on the formidable bacterium called Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the main cause of infections and death among serious burn victims. An article describing the new bandage, which was developed in part at EPFL, has just been published in Scientific Reports.

The technology is based on a biodegradable bandage made of animal collagen and 'progenitor' cells that can multiply quickly. First developed by the CHUV in 2005, these bandages hastened the healing process but did nothing to protect against microbes. The researchers have now demonstrated that by combining these biological bandages with special molecules called dendrimers, it would be possible to not only speed up healing but also to put a stop to infections.

Halting bacterial proliferation

The bandage consists of a strip of gauze made from collagen to which progenitor cells and dendrimers have been added. When the bandage is placed on a bacteria-infected site, some of the dendrimers migrate and destroy the microbes located in the direct vicinity of the bandage. Other dendrimers remain inside the bandage. "Bandages are a favorable environment for bacterial growth," said Dominique Pioletti, the head of EPFL's Laboratory of Biomechanical Orthopedics. "So some dendrimers have to remain in the bandage to destroy any intruders." With his team, the researcher's task was to find a way to incorporate dendrimers in the biological bandage. He then observed how the bacteria interacted with the new bandage.

Cutting the death rate

For hospital burn specialists, this technology meets an urgent need. "Currently, we have to take enormous precautions with our patients," said Lee Ann Laurent-Applegate, the head of the Regenerative Therapy Unit at the CHUV. "The bandages, which sometimes cover most parts of the body, need to be changed every day for several months. Yet that does not stop infections. And we cannot prescribe antibiotics to all patients as a preventive measure for fear of making the bacteria more resistant. With the new bandages, rather than treating infections, we will be preventing them. We are nipping the problem in the bud."

The new bandage will be tested in Zurich before they can be used in clinics.


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Materials provided by Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Philippe Abdel-Sayed, Ariane Kaeppli, Thissa Siriwardena, Tamis Darbre, Karl Perron, Paris Jafari, Jean-Louis Reymond, Dominique P. Pioletti, Lee Ann Applegate. Anti-Microbial Dendrimers against Multidrug-Resistant P. aeruginosa Enhance the Angiogenic Effect of Biological Burn-wound Bandages. Scientific Reports, 2016; 6: 22020 DOI: 10.1038/srep22020

Cite This Page:

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. "Infection-fighting bandages for serious burns." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 25 February 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160225085322.htm>.
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. (2016, February 25). Infection-fighting bandages for serious burns. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 4, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160225085322.htm
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. "Infection-fighting bandages for serious burns." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160225085322.htm (accessed October 4, 2024).

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