Achievement

Novel wound dressings developed by an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the UMass Amherst Chemical Engineering department and Baystate Medical Center's Trauma Division will result in a U.S. Patent application. Joseph White (IGERT trainee, Bhatia lab) has developed a process to cast hydrogels onto gauze surfaces, whereby the structure of the gel is preserved upon drying. This technology was used to create novel wound dressings that enable enhanced oxygen supply to wound sites. Dressings were developed in collaboration with Whitney Stoppel (IGERT associate, Roberts lab), and tested on rat models with the help of Dr. Patrick Lee's team (Baystate Medical Center). The team has secured a competitive Technology Development Award from the University of Massachusetts Commercial Ventures and Intellectual Property Office, which will provide additional funding to aid in commercialization of the technology.