Dr. Moran Aviv’s paper presents a new concept for generating smart skin tissue, which can report on its state throughout the healing process, without invasive tests or injury to tissues. The work demonstrates how advanced materials, nanostructures, and soft electronics can be combined in in order to transform passive material into a smart system that provides ongoing information on wound healing processes, with potential for future smart bandage and tissue engineering applications.

The paper presents the development of a novel bioactive material that serves as a fiber polymer scaffold for skin tissue regeneration, e.g., in burn injuries or chronic wounds. The material simulates natural skin structure and stimulates skin cells to adhere, grow, and reorganize. The chief innovation is in creating a smart tissue in which the scaffold doesn’t merely provide “passive support” for healing, but also includes a conductive electronic layer that allows for ongoing monitoring of real-time cell behavior.

Measuring electrical impedance allows to quantitatively monitor changes to cell behavior, such as the adhesion, proliferation, and surface coverage of the regenerating skin tissue, without the need for biological marking, invasive testing, or disruption of the healing process. This approach has significant potential for advancing the treatment of burns and chronic wounds, and next-generation bandages.

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