Drug-resistant bacterial infections critically disrupt the intricate and sequential process of wound healing, resulting in non-healing wounds that compromise patient recovery and quality of life. Here, a smart wearable bioelectronic patch is designed for the adaptive management of drug-resistant bacteria-infected burn wounds, which integrates real-time diagnostic capability with regulable therapeutic modalities: photodynamic therapy (PDT) for on-demand infection control and electrical stimulation (ES) to accelerate tissue regeneration. The patch operates autonomously through a feedback loop: upon detection of elevated wound temperature resulting from infection-induced excessive inflammation, the non-antibiotic PDT modality is triggered to effectively eradicate drug-resistant bacteria. Subsequently, ES is activated to promote cellular proliferation and migration during the prolonged healing process. This multifunctional patch exhibited potent antibiotic-free antibacterial efficacy toward typical drug-resistant bacteria (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and significantly accelerated burn wound healing in both in vitro and in vivo models. By synchronizing diagnostic and adaptive therapeutic interventions, this integrated bioelectronic patch provides a smart platform that satisfies the dynamic and demanding requirements of drug-resistant bacteria-infected wound management.
Zhang et al. (2026) studied this question.