Biomedical engineers at Brown University have created a wound dressing that releases antibiotics only when harmful bacteria are detected. In a new study, the team found that the material may quickly eliminate wound infections and speed healing while cutting back on unnecessary antibiotic use. Overuse of antibiotics is a key factor behind antibiotic resistance and difficult-to-treat “superbug” infections, which kill tens of thousands of people worldwide each year.

The material is a smart hydrogel packed with antibiotics and designed to be applied directly to a wound beneath a bandage. It responds to an enzyme made by many harmful bacteria. When that enzyme is present, the hydrogel begins to break down and releases the antibiotics stored inside. If harmful bacteria are absent, the hydrogel remains intact and keeps the medication sealed away.

“Antimicrobial resistance is a major problem worldwide, so we need better approaches for how we use antibiotics,” said Anita Shukla, a professor in Brown’s School of Engineering who led the development of the smart hydrogel. “We’ve developed a material that releases antibiotics only when harmful bacteria are present, so it limits exposure to antibiotics when they’re not needed but still provides these important medications when they are needed.”

In the study, published in Science Advances, the researchers tested the hydrogel and found that it was highly selective for enzymes produced by common bacteria that cause wound infections. The findings also suggest that the material may clear infections and support wound healing more effectively than a hydrogel dressing currently used in clinical care.