Building a Better Bandage: Why Hydrogels Are the Key

In the 1967 movie The Graduate, Dustin Hoffman's character, Ben, is told that the future lies in one word: plastics. In 2013, in the world of wound protection, that one word is: hydrogels. Those who have never heard of them should read on.

Anyone who has ever had a bandage-covered cut, bruise or other skin wound has experienced the moment of truth when the bandage has to come off—either to change it or because the wound has healed. What if the bandage had properties that could help heal the wound more quickly than other bandages?  

A highly focused biopharmaceutical company, Alliqua, Inc, based in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, has created a hydrogel-based bandage—called Hydress (a registered trademark of Alliqua)—that manages this trick. It is flexible, sterile and non-adherent; can absorb twice its weight in exudate (blood, pus and other bodily fluids), unlike other hydrogels; and even helps alleviate pain.

As Alliqua's CEO David Johnson explains, hydrogels are just what the name implies: gel-like or colloidal substances made of water and solids. These compounds can be created chemically, through a combination of ultraviolet cross-linking and chemical interface or by mixing polymer and water, and then exposing it to an electron beam, creating a "sheet" of water.  

Hydress provides a moist healing environment and does not bond to the wound, skin or hair. Hydress sheets can hold themselves in place; however, since they are non-adherent, they can be removed easily without causing additional trauma to the wound bed. They have an immediate cooling effect which promotes vaso-restriction, promoting a soothing effect.

Johnson believes that Alliqua's proprietary formulation of hydrogels in Hydress bandages—and the other wound protection products the company produces—have a major competitive advantage. These include the way their bandages adhere to the human body, the stability of the gel, and the overall purity, consistency and reproducibility of the product—meaning every bandage performs equally well. Several studies support Johnson's view. End result: a better bandage with a myriad of uses in healthcare.

For more information on Alliqua and Hydress, visit http://alliqua.com/hydrogel-platform/