AI-powered imaging tracks wound healing under the skin in real time

"Using a custom-built optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging system together with artificial intelligence (AI) models grounded in a deep understanding of tissue regeneration, researchers have shown they can accurately and objectively measure the progress of wounds healing over time.

Using their new approach, the researchers also show that a hydrogel under development to improve wound healing works better with stiffer mechanical properties. The results are a two-for-one boon in a challenging area for both clinicians and researchers. [...]

"Wound healing is a complex process, and what we see on the surface doesn't always reflect what's happening underneath," said Sharon Gerecht, chair and the Paul M. Gross Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Duke. "For more than a decade, my lab has developed hydrogel-based therapies to guide tissue healing and regeneration. Partnering with Nokia Bell Labs allowed us to combine advanced optical imaging and AI and has given us unprecedented insights into how biomaterials induce healing beneath the surface."