Smart personalized electric bandage for faster healing of ischemic wounds
Official title: Toward smart personalized electrotherapy for enhanced healing of ischemic wounds
Funded at Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center · NIH-11493614 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A wearable electric bandage that delivers personalized electrical pulses and monitors wounds to help people with chronic ischemic wounds heal faster.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cleveland, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2017 |
| Project end | December 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01RX002166-10 |
| Project ID | NIH-11493614 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with chronic ischemic wounds (for example pressure ulcers or diabetic foot ulcers) related to poor blood flow who may benefit from improved local therapy.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose wounds are not driven by ischemia, who need surgical repair, or who have implanted electrical devices (like pacemakers) may not benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
You would be hearing about a flexible, untethered bandage that gives controlled electrical stimulation while also monitoring the wound in real time. Earlier work in rats showed two electrical patterns that sped healing and lowered infection in large wounds. The current project refines that SmartMAEDS bandage and tests it in a larger-animal model to mirror human-sized ischemic wounds and to prove the remote-monitoring features. The goal is to make a bandage that delivers consistent therapy without needing to be repositioned and that could move into human trials later.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help people with chronic ischemic wounds heal faster, reduce infections, and simplify home wound care.
How similar studies have gone: Previous preclinical studies in rats found specific electrical stimulation patterns that improved healing and reduced infection, but human effectiveness has not yet been established.
Where this research is happening
-
Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center
Cleveland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bogie, Kath — Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Bogie, Kath
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.