A team of researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) has developed a revolutionary technology: they have created an innovative device that wirelessly monitors the wound healing process in real-time. This invention has the potential to fundamentally change wound care practice, significantly reduce the risk of infection, and improve the lives of millions of people.
Today, the management of chronic wounds is a serious problem worldwide, costing healthcare systems billions of dollars annually. The traditional method, which involves frequent removal of dressings, not only increases the risk of developing an infection but also hinders the healing process.
It is in response to these challenges that the RMIT team developed a smart sensor system. This inexpensive and simple device monitors signs of inflammation, pH levels, and temperature, and transmits the data to doctors via Bluetooth.
We spoke to the study’s lead author, Dr. Peter Francis Matthew Elango, about this promising innovation, its technical nuances, and the technology’s global significance.
Peter Elango is a scientist, engineer, and innovator from Australia with over a decade of interdisciplinary experience in nanotechnology, biotechnology, materials science, and electronics engineering. He is currently a Research Fellow at the RMIT School of Engineering, where he leads research on optical integrated sensors. His main goal is MedTech commercialization, which involves translating fundamental scientific breakthroughs into practical medical devices.
Interview with Dr. Peter Francis Matthew Elango
What was the inspiration for your team to develop a device for monitoring chronic wounds, and how did the initial idea emerge?
Our inspiration came directly from a critical and growing need within the healthcare sector. We saw significant challenges associated with chronic wound care—the high risk of infection with frequent dressing changes, delays in treatment, and the immense financial burden on both patients and healthcare systems.
The initial conceptual idea was born from a simple question: “How can we obtain essential data about a wound without frequently removing the dressings?” Also, the rapid development of wearable technology in recent years was a source of our inspiration. We thought of using our experience in sensor systems to address this challenge.
Ultimately, the developed concept involved creating a smart, flexible biopatch that would perform continuous monitoring and wirelessly provide information about the wound to the treating physician.
How does the device monitor indicators such as pH level, temperature, and signs of inflammation in real-time? Why are these specific indicators crucial for wound healing?
The device ensures real-time monitoring by integrating four different sensors onto a single flexible chip. A microcontroller placed on the chip continuously reads each sensor, recording data every 30 seconds. This data is then instantly transmitted via Bluetooth to a smartphone application.
We chose these markers because they give us a complete and accurate picture of the wound.
Temperature is a classic indicator of healing: a healing wound is slightly warm, but a temperature above $38^\circ C$ is an indicator of infection or tissue death (necrosis), while a drop in temperature suggests a problem with blood circulation. The second important indicator is the pH level. Unlike healthy skin, a chronic wound often becomes alkaline, and a pH of $7.4$ or higher is a clear marker of infection. Finally, inflammatory biomarkers ($IL-6$ and $CRP$) are monitored, reflecting the body’s molecular response. An increase in $IL-6$ indicates the onset of chronic infection, while the concentration of $CRP$ (C-Reactive Protein) gives us precise biochemical information about whether healing is progressing normally or if the infection is spreading.
How does this system compare in terms of clinical accuracy and reliability to the current standard methods of wound assessment that require dressing removal?
Our system is much more accurate and reliable because we use an objective, data-driven method instead of a clinician’s subjective assessment.
In the traditional method, a doctor assesses the wound visually after removing the dressing. This assessment depends on personal opinion and shows the condition only at one specific moment. For example, a wound that looks fine on Monday may already be infected on Tuesday, and the doctor will only discover this on Wednesday during the next check-up.
Our device, in contrast, relies on objective, quantitative data: it measures specific pH values, temperature, and biomarker concentrations every 30 seconds. This continuous monitoring allows the clinician to detect negative changes hours or even days earlier than would be possible with a physical examination. Furthermore, by eliminating the need to remove the dressing, the risk of new bacterial contamination (introducing infection) is reduced, ensuring a more stable environment for the wound’s natural progress and healing.
Why was Bluetooth chosen as the method of data transmission, and how does the system ensure the security of patient data?
We chose Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for several practical reasons, which are important for a small medical device. First, it requires very little power, which is essential for a battery-powered sensor. Second, this technology is integrated into almost every smartphone. This means the user does not need additional hardware, making the system easily accessible.
Regarding data protection, this is our main priority. While we were working on functionality in the initial stages, the commercial version will include strong security protocols. Data protection will rely on encryption standards built into BLE, such as AES-CCM, to secure the connection between the sensor and the smartphone. Additionally, the smartphone application will be designed so that any information sent to a cloud server is transmitted through encrypted channels (e.g., via HTTPS). This ensures patient confidentiality.
During testing, how did you overcome the challenge of making the sensor flexible enough to conform to non-standard surfaces, such as human skin?
The sensor design was a central structural challenge from the start, as for data accuracy, the sensors must maintain constant and tight contact with the wound area.
We addressed this challenge in two main ways: First, we carefully selected the substrate materials for the sensor to obtain a material that would not only be biocompatible and safe for contact with the skin but also have appropriate mechanical properties—flexible enough to bend and conform to curved shapes (without creating tension on the skin), yet durable enough to protect the embedded electronics.
Second, we designed the electronic components and conductive pathways to withstand mechanical stress. This involved arranging the microcircuits in a way that minimizes strain during bending and ensures that the sensor elements themselves function reliably even when flexed. Our tests confirmed that the device “snugly conforms to the curvilinear nature of human skin,” ensuring high-quality and reliable data collection.
Given that the manufacturing cost of the device is less than $5, what is your vision for the global scaling of this technology, especially in countries with developing healthcare systems?
Our main goal is to make this technology accessible to everyone. The key to achieving this is the product’s self-cost of less than $5, which allows us to distribute the device globally. We designed the sensor so that it can be manufactured in ordinary factories without expensive, specialized machinery.
To enter the global market and widely disseminate our technology, we will collaborate with both large manufacturers who have experience producing devices in large quantities and representatives of the healthcare sector. To enter developing countries, we will partner with international healthcare organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and local ministries.
Do you think this innovation is particularly significant for developing countries like Georgia, where advanced technologies are less accessible?
Absolutely. Moreover, its positive effect may be most visible in countries with healthcare systems like Georgia’s. In many developing regions, there is a shortage of doctors, and patients often have to travel long distances for professional medical check-ups, which is associated with high costs and often becomes an insurmountable barrier.
Do you plan to expand the capabilities of your technology so that it is no longer only a device for wound monitoring?
Undoubtedly. This is one of the most impressive aspects of our work. Wound monitoring is just the first step toward creating a much broader and versatile technology.
The main part of the device—our patented, high-resistance silicon sensor—already effectively recognizes a wide range of biomarkers associated with various diseases. Since the system is inexpensive, portable, and connects to a smartphone, it is an ideal diagnostic tool. Adapting the sensor to different specific biomarkers will allow us to adapt the technology for the following directions: screening for infectious diseases; monitoring nutritional deficiencies; and managing chronic conditions such as diabetes or kidney disease.
What kind of partnerships—academic, governmental, or industrial—are you currently seeking for the further development, testing, and global deployment of this innovation?
Collaboration with all three sectors is essential to bring our technology to the global market. Therefore, we are pursuing a consistent partnership strategy that ensures the innovation transitions from the laboratory to a global standard.
The primary goal is a partnership with a medical device manufacturer to scale up production, navigate regulations (FDA/CE), and manage global supply chains. A good example of this is our previous successful collaboration with “Lubdub Technologies.”
At the same time, partnerships with governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are critically important. They will play a crucial role in securing the funding needed for technology implementation, integration into public healthcare systems, and ensuring equitable access, especially where it is needed most.
Finally, we are actively seeking collaboration with academic partners to conduct independent validation studies, discover new applications for the sensor platform, and expand the boundaries of research.
