This innovative dressing is capable of achieving exudate management, antibacterial properties, and multiple indications of wound infection detection. The research provides a valuable method for designing multifunctional wound dressings for chronic wound care, playing a crucial role in improving patient outcomes. The study was published in the internationally prestigious journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, recognised for its focus on applied materials science.

Mainstream wound dressings, with their single function, often fall short in providing comprehensive care, resulting in frequent changes, ongoing medication, and visual inspections by healthcare providers.This not only heightens the risk of secondary injuries and infections in exudate-rich environments but also increases the chances of missed treatment opportunities, significantly impacting patients' physical and mental health while placing considerable strain on the healthcare system.

To address these issues, the UNNC research team developed MM-JWD to maximise patient comfort and convenience. Yanshu highlighted the team's significant breakthroughs in exudate and integrated management, stating,

The dressing also implements "Lab-on-a-chip" technology, integrating various laboratory functions onto a microchip, allowing for one-stop processing of wound samples. Accompanying this innovative dressing is a smart monitoring app that helps healthcare personnel to monitor wound conditions in real-time, significantly reducing their workload.

The implementation of these innovative functions requires interdisciplinary collaboration and creative solutions, where UNNC excels. In 2022, Professor Li and Dr Low established an interdisciplinary research team focused on wearable sensing devices to overcome technological barriers and achieve medical applications.

The team, leveraging UNNC's strong faculty and academic network, includes experts in microfluidic technology, laser processing, visual identification, image recognition, sensing technology, and new material hybrid preparation technology.

The intersection of different disciplines at UNNC brings new insights for advancements in modern medical techniques, attracting top scientists like Dr Low, who is ranked among the global top 2%, to join the organisation. The research has received funding from the National Natural Science Foundation, the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation, and the Ningbo Municipal Natural Science Foundation.

The team is further optimising the smart wound dressing to actively intervene in the treatment cycle and release medication, effectively preventing secondary infections and forming a more comprehensive solution.