Melanoma dressing

2022: Announcement of the bandage that kills melanoma

In mid-July 2022, a surgical bandage specifically designed to facilitate and enhance photothermal therapy following melanoma resection was unveiled at the University of Nottingham in the UK. The product allows to carry out photothermal therapy in the near infrared region, which lasts only 15 seconds, every 48 hours. The technology involves the destruction of all remaining melanoma cells, while stimulating the regeneration of healthy cells at the site of resection, the developers say.

The bandage contains graphene oxide (a photothermal agent that converts light energy into heat, killing cancer cells), elastin, as well as ethanol. Combining graphene oxide with elastin reduces its cytotoxicity, that is, it does not pose a threat to healthy patient cells, but it allows photothermal therapy to kill residual melanoma cells. Ethanol helps chemically reduce graphene oxide, making photothermal therapy more effective in terms of treatment, and also forms an antiseptic component in the dressing.

Surgical bandage killing melanoma created

Given the aggressive nature of melanoma, surgical resections to remove it must be significantly larger than tumor sizes to minimize the presence of residual cells. In addition to preventing tumor recurrence and promoting tissue healing, our dressings may also lead to a reduction in surgical resection size and practical postoperative treatment, which is non-invasive and can be done at home, said Yuanhao Wu, a researcher at the University of Nottingham in the UK.

Delivery of photothermal agents to tumors through the bloodstream can be difficult because they can have unstable blood supply and a winding vasculature, and some photothermal agents can have negative effects on healthy cells. This technique aims to place a photothermal agent, in this case reduced graphene oxide, directly at the site of resection. At the moment, the researchers have shown that for effective photothermal therapy, it is enough to irradiate the bandage with near infrared light for 15 seconds, every 48 hours. Patients can even independently perform light therapy at home, provided they are familiar with the instructions for the use of the bandage.^[1]

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