Nanotechnology reduces healing times from months or even years to as few as 12 days.

Professors Daniel Smith and Darrell Reneker at the University of Akron in Ohio are currently conducting clinical trials of “nanofiber bandages,” according to the Akron Beacon Journal.

The bandages are said to be inexpensive to manufacture, lightweight, elastic and will conform to any shape without sticking to the wound.

The nanofiber bandage releases nitric oxide, which kills the parasite that causes the condition and reduces inflammation, allowing healing to occur. Diabetics may benefit from bandage’s nitric oxide boost, as it is a chemical not adequately produced in their bodies.

Clinical trials are currently underway in Columbia, South America to treat Leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease transmitted by the bite of sand flies. Lesions from the disease can take months to heal, leaving unsightly scars. Left unchecked, the condition can lead to liver infection.

Results from the trials show that nanofiber bandages reduced healing times from months or even years to as few as 12 days. The treatment is also much easier for patients, compared to the traditional method that involves a cocktail of harsh drugs delivered intravenously over several months.

The researchers hope that such positive results will earn their invention an approval from the FDA in the U.S, hopefully leading to full bandage production by 2008.

Now that researchers have demonstrated success treating Leishmaniasis, the technology is in clinical trials for diabetic ulcers and is being explored for a host of other medical applications, including dental and cardiovascular surgery.

Researchers at the University of Akron also noted that its nanofiber development can extend beyond just bandages. For example, UA researchers have coated nanofibers with metals or carbon for energy devices, and even made flexible ceramic nanofibers for high-temperature filtration applications.

"The professors’ nanofiber bandage was made to heal bites from sand flies that carry leishmaniasis."

Source: University of Akron - Ohio