The bioelectronic device has been used to treat psoriasis in mice.
Jiyun Shi and Bojing Tian/University of Chicago
A bioelectronic device incorporating live skin bacteria reduces inflammation and promotes the regeneration of healthy skin in mice with psoriasis, a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by rapid skin cell growth. Future versions of the technology could help treat some of the 125 million people with psoriasis worldwide.
“In mouse models, four days or closer to a week may be sufficient for treatment.” Tadashi “Potential clinical applications in humans would require a longer time frame, but that is easily doable,” said University of Chicago researcher who developed the device.
The top layer of the device contains electronic sensors that can measure the skin's electrical impedance (an indicator of skin thickness and dryness) as well as temperature and humidity, while the bottom layer is made of a soft hydrogel material that contains biological materials. Staphylococcus epidermidis Bacteria are components of the normal human skin microbiome. These bacteria were mixed with starch and gelatin to mimic a “biofilm” in which the bacteria can thrive.
of S. Epidermis The bacteria naturally produce metabolites that inhibit the excessive growth of skin cells. Over the course of treatment, these metabolites promoted normal skin growth. The researchers were able to follow the process by monitoring changes in the skin's electrical impedance and observing the reduction in clinical symptoms.
Such technology, they write, could eventually lead to devices that use sensor information to continuously adjust the therapeutic effects of live bacteria. Peder Olofsson A perspective article was published at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden exploring the impact of new technologies.
Preliminary research by Tian and his colleagues shows how this may be possible. In their latest study, they showed that the middle layer of the device can be used to deliver electrical stimulation after successful treatment, resulting in: S. Epidermis It kills bacteria and disinfects the skin. But unpublished preliminary findings suggest that certain levels of electrical stimulation may enhance the treatment of skin bacteria rather than kill them. This suggests that by carefully controlling the electrical stimulation, it may be possible to speed up or slow down the treatment to suit the needs of the individual recipient.
“What we're working on now is using electrical stimulation to further modulate the microbial activity,” Tian says, “so we can improve the therapeutic effect while keeping the cells alive.”
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Source: www.newscientist.com
