Infection-fighting bandages to save the lives of burn victims

Biological bandages with both wound-healing and antimicrobial properties, developed in part at EPFL, could reduce the risk of deadly infections among serious burn victims. Bacterial infection is the leading cause of death among severe burn victims. The disruption of the normal skin barrier makes them highly vulnerable to bacteria, and the bandages used to treat […]

Biological bandages with both wound-healing and antimicrobial properties, developed in part at EPFL, could reduce the risk of deadly infections among serious burn victims.

Bacterial infection is the leading cause of death among severe burn victims. The disruption of the normal skin barrier makes them highly vulnerable to bacteria, and the bandages used to treat burns are a favorable environment for bacterial proliferation. A consortium of Swiss researchers have been working on a new generation of biological bandages that could change all this.

First developed by Lausanne University Hospitals (CHUV) in 2005, these bandages accelerated the scarring process but did nothing against infections. Researchers have now combined these biological bandages with special molecules called dendrimers which destroy the bacteria located in the direct vicinity of the bandage.

For hospital burn specialists, this technology meets an urgent need. "Currently, we have to take enormous precautions with our patients," says Lee Ann Laurent-Applegate, head of the Regenerative Therapy Unit at the CHUV, in a press release. "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."