A biomechanical device controlled through a smartphone can quickly close complex wounds, with preclinical research showing it can encourage healing and reduce scarring.
The multi-axis stretchable wound zipper (MSWZ) shrinks and responds like human skin to enable personalized fast and precise healing at a molecular level.
The device, outlined in Advanced Science, mechanically stretches and contracts wounds in multiple directions through a smartphone app and it was able to heal to complex wounds in rats.
The zipper supported matrix remodeling to reduce the risk of scar formation and encouraged blood flow to supply energy and nutrients for optimal healing.
Researcher Yiming Zhang, PhD, from Xinqiao Hospital in Chongqing, China, said it addressed the limitations of conventional surgical sutures or skin staples that only contract in a single direction without being able to manage the force applied.
“We believe this technology offers an innovative solution for future wound care, ultimately alleviating patient suffering and significantly accelerating the healing process,” he said.
The multi-axis wound zipper is engineered from electro-thermally driven mechanical metamaterials and is encapsulated between two layers of polyurethane dressing before use.
It is constructed from a lattice based on nickel-titanium shape-memory alloy that can freely stretch in six directions, spaced 60 degrees apart. This enables it to conform to complex wound morphologies, with precise, programmable mechanical contraction possible through the smartphone app.
A circular notch in the center of the underlying dressing allows the zipper to stick only to the wound margins and not to the center of the wound so that mechanical contraction forces do not act directly on the central wound tissue.
This “loop adhesion” design is better than traditionally uniform dressing structures, the researchers explain, as it allows the zipper to draw flat against the wound edge—like a drawstring bag—for smoother, more uniform closure.
The device also incorporates a Bluetooth-enabled microcontroller unit, which allows the patient to precisely set and dynamically regulate the wound contraction strength through a mobile app. This intelligent closure system allows contraction to be adjusted according to personal comfort and avoids the pain of over contraction.
Pre-stretched multi-axis wound zippers were better than surgical suturing for linear wounds in rats, achieving immediate and complete closure and a wound healing rate of nearly 90% on the first day.
When used for circular wounds, the wound zipper was also better than surgical suturing and had a superior wound-healing rate above 95% within eight days. It restored the epithelial barrier, reduced the width of the wound, and promoted reconstruction of the collagen matrix.
It was also able to heal the spindle- and oval-shaped wounds frequently seen in the clinic.
Maximum wound closure rates for linear, triangular, rectangular, and circular wounds were 100%, 84.85%, 81.99%, and 87.40%, respectively.
Immunohistochemistry revealed that the wound zipper promoted blood flow to deliver energy and nutrients for healing and supported matrix remodeling to reduce the formation of scar tissue.
Mechanical contraction using the device upregulated vascular regeneration-related transcription factors and speeded the restoration of local perfusion. At the same time, it promoted proliferation and migration of keratinocytes, thereby accelerating re-epithelialization.
In addition, by reducing the skin tension at the wound margin, the wound zipper inhibited the overactivation of myofibroblasts, facilitated orderly collagen matrix remodeling, and decreased the risk of scar formation.
“Collectively, these findings indicate that the MSWZ can deliver rapid, robust, and programmable multi-axis mechanical contraction suited for personalized management of diverse wound types,” the researchers concluded.
“Its conformability to skin and favorable safety profile further support its potential for future clinical translation.”
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