Real-time diagnostic smart dressing patch could end fear of diabetic foot amputation

Diabetic ulcers, which occur in patients with diabetes, are dangerous complications that can lead to amputation if the treatment window is missed. A research team has developed a wireless, battery-free optoelectronic multi-modal sensor patch for diabetic ulcer management. It can monitor wound conditions in real time.

How the smart wound patch works

The patch combines an optoelectronic sensor, which can simultaneously measure multiple types of biological information, with a functional dressing. It can analyze glucose concentration, acidity (pH, an indicator of hydrogen ion concentration), and temperature changes at the wound site in real time, and patients can check their condition themselves using a smartphone.

The research was published in Advanced Functional Materials.

Color-changing dressing for early warning

The research team led by Distinguished Professor Inkyu Park of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, through joint research with Professor Ji-Hwan Ha of Hanbat National University, researcher Junho Jeong of the Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials, and Professor Wei Gao of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in the United States, fabricated a functional nanofiber dressing using electrospinning, a method that uses an electric field to create fibers much thinner than a human hair.

This dressing changes color in response to increased glucose and changes in acidity that appear in diabetic foot wounds. In other words, if the wound condition worsens, the dressing color changes, allowing danger signals to be easily checked with the naked eye. Through this, abnormal signs that could lead to tissue necrosis can be detected and tracked over long periods in a noninvasive manner, meaning without cutting the skin or drawing blood.

Optoelectronics and wireless power behind it

The research team combined this with an optoelectronic system to improve diagnostic accuracy. A light-emitting diode (LED, a semiconductor device that converts electricity into light) embedded in the patch and a photodiode, a semiconductor sensor that detects light, measure the color change of the dressing as light reflectance and then convert it into an electrical signal.

This provides more accurate and stable data than ordinary camera-based imaging because it is less affected by changes in surrounding lighting.

In particular, the patch operates without a separate battery by applying a flexible circuit based on near-field communication (NFC), a wireless communication technology that exchanges data over short distances.

When a smartphone is placed near the sensor, the patch receives power wirelessly and operates, transmitting the measured data in real time. In other words, patients and medical staff can immediately check and respond to wound conditions using only a smartphone app, without separate complex equipment.

Potential impact for diabetes care

The technology developed in this study has high clinical value because it provides both intuitive visual signals and quantitative electronic data while imposing no physical burden on patients. It is also expected to contribute to improving the quality of life of patients with diabetes by enabling continuous wound management without repeated blood sampling.

Distinguished Professor Inkyu Park stated, “Research that began to reduce the pain of diabetic patients who have to prick their fingers with a needle every day has led to a technology for the preemptive diagnosis of complications.

“This technology will become a core platform technology that can be expanded in the future to blood-free diagnostic technologies not only for diabetes but also for various chronic diseases.”

In this study, KAIST Dr. Seokjoo Cho and Professor Ji-Hwan Ha of Hanbat National University participated as co-first authors.

Who’s behind this story?

Sadie Harley

BSc Life Sciences & Ecology. Microbiology lab background with pharmaceutical news experience in oil, gas, and renewable industries.

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Robert Egan

Bachelor’s in mathematical biology, Master’s in creative writing. Well-traveled with unique perspectives on science and language.

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