Imagine a wound dressing that doesn't just cover an injury, but anchors securely into the skin, delivers life-saving drugs, stimulates healing, and watches the wound recover — adjusting treatment in real time.
That's exactly what researchers at Shaanxi University of Science and Technology have created. Inspired by the serrated stinger of a honeybee, their new microneedle platform combines drug delivery, electrical stimulation, and continuous monitoring in a single, wearable system. The work, published in the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, tackles one of the toughest problems in modern medicine: diabetic wound healing.
Just as a bee's stinger anchors firmly into skin, the microneedles' saw-toothed edges lock into the dermal layer, preventing them from slipping or loosening during daily activities.
At the tip of each needle, a temperature-sensitive hydrogel steadily releases insulin for up to 24 hours, triggered by the patient's own body heat. At the base, a conductive layer delivers electrical stimulation—boosting blood vessel formation—and simultaneously measures subtle changes in electrical resistance, a real-time indicator of wound healing progress.
For people with diabetes, wounds can be stubbornly slow to heal due to high blood sugar, persistent inflammation, and infection—a destructive cycle that conventional treatments rarely break. Dressings and hydrogel patches may soothe symptoms, but they cannot regulate glucose, fight deep infections, and monitor healing all at once.
"Chronic wound management has long been a blind process," said corresponding author Prof. Xinhua Liu. "Clinicians often rely on visual checks, which means they can miss the critical moment for intervention. We wanted to create a system that could see, decide, and act without removing the dressing."
The team built the platform by coating biodegradable polylactic acid microneedles with the conductive polymer polypyrrole, then adding the insulin-loaded hydrogel at the tips. The serrated structure improved both skin penetration and long-term stability, enabling consistent drug delivery and effective electrical stimulation without frequent repositioning.
The result is an intelligent, self-anchoring patch that not only treats but also listens to the wound, continuously mapping changes in tissue condition and adjusting therapy accordingly.
The team is now working to integrate more sensing capabilities, such as humidity and biochemical markers, while developing AI algorithms that can predict wound progression and adjust therapy automatically. For diabetic foot ulcers, this could mean adjusting insulin dosing and stimulation intensity in real time to prevent severe tissue damage.
They are also improving flexibility and wearability so the microneedles remain safe and comfortable during walking, exercise, and other daily activities.
"This is more than a dressing," Prof. Liu emphasized. "It's a real-time navigator for wound healing—a step toward truly personalized, data-driven care."
International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing (IJEM, IF: 21.3) is dedicated to publishing the best advanced manufacturing research with extreme dimensions to address both the fundamental scientific challenges and significant engineering needs.
- Maintain #1 in Engineering, Manufacturing for consecutive years
- Average time to First Decision after Peer Review: 34 days
- Open Access Publishing with APC Waivers
Visit our webpage , like us on Facebook , and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn .
