Researchers from the University of St. Andrews developed a new technique that delivers light into human tissue and could help treat and heal wounds more effectively than current available technologies. The process applies light to a wound in order to stimulate healing through a process called photochemical tissue bonding. Although this technique has been used for treating superficial wounds in the past, the current study is the first time that it has been applied to such a deep level in the body and opens up plenty of opportunities for effective tissue repair.
The team developed the process using biodegradable optical fibers, which were then inserted into the body in order to utilize light to heal local internal wounds, such as those present after surgery. Although past fiber-optic cables or catheters remained in the body permanently, the current study demonstrates how they can be made from materials that are reabsorbed into the body, eliminating the need for removal and decreasing the dangers of the procedure.
"A variety of optical techniques, such as photochemical tissue bonding and photodynamic therapy, require efficient delivery of light deep into tissues, but the current limited penetration of light in tissue constitutes a serious constraint in clinical use," said Malte Gather, who helped develop the technique, in a press release.
"Having biocompatible and bioabsorbable optical components may transform photomedicine from a discipline where light is predominantly applied externally, to a new paradigm based on tissue-integrated and precisely controlled delivery and collection of light," he added.
In addition to wound healing, the research could also be used in cancer treatment to prevent tumor growth, as well as for implanted endoscopy procedures after surgery to accomplish repeated imaging and patient monitoring.
The findings were published in the Jan. 19 issue of Nature Communications.
