Got a boo-boo?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science saying..
Ouch! Some cuts and scrapes just won’t go away! Those are called chronic wounds, and they can lead to serious infections.
To help fix this, Guopu Chen and team created a special healing gel made with living algae and probiotic bacteria.
Here’s how it works. The algae pumps out oxygen to jump start healing. Meanwhile, the bacteria creates a beneficial environment to fight off the infection.
When used on chronic wounds, this natural gel helped people heal three times faster, with less swelling and fewer infections than usual treatments.
Huh. Algae and probiotics teaming up? This calls for a cell-ebration!
Reference: Chen, G., Wang, F., Zhang, X., Shang, Y., & Zhao, Y. (2023). Living microecological hydrogels for wound healing. Science Advances, 9(21). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adg3478